Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon: Here Comes The Hydroflames
by Ikcatcher
Summary: Ian, once a human now turned Mudkip wakes up to find himself in a world only inhabited by Pokemon. Having no memories of his past, he meets up with a Fennekin named Patience who dreams of joining the Expedition Society. When an ancient evil awakens, turning any Pokemon in its way into stone. It is up to them to solve the mysteries of their past, and save the world from destruction.
1. The World Of Pokemon (UPDATED)

A/N: Greetings old/new readers, you might be wondering "Updated? What's that supposed to mean?"

Well, to tell you the truth, after reading the original version of this chapter, I find it to be utterly garbage, completely rushed I wrote it when I was in a Burger King for crying out loud! I fear that this is serving a bad first impression on my story. So, I'm deciding to rewrite the first chapter of my story, I might decide to rewrite the next few chapters if I still feel unsatisfied.

Anyway, enough rambling, time for what you came for.

This is Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon: Here Comes The Hydroflames! Enjoy!

* * *

...Ugh.

"Wake up."

W-what? Who are you? Where am I?!

"I know you would be confused as to what is going on but there is not much time to explain, by the time you hear this, I would be long gone from here. You may find it a bit... disorienting when you wake up. But all shall be explained in due time. Good luck, and see you on the other side!"

Before he could have asked anymore questions, a bright light engulfed his view blinding him. He closed his eyes as tight as he could and followed the voice's instructions:

To wake up.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted to a lush, green forest. He was laying on the grass.

W-what...? Where is this? I don't remember falling asleep in a forest...

Just then, he felt a sharp pain pierce his head he tried clenching his head with his hand, but lacked the energy to do so.

Damn, what the heck happened to me? He wondered. He tried as hard as he could to remember what had happened the previous night...

But nothing came up, his mind was a blur. He shrugged it off, he'll probably remember something in just a moment.

Thirsty... I'm so thirsty...

In the distance, he heard the sound of running water, it sounded like it was ahead of him. He tried standing up, but immediately fell face first onto the ground, looks like his legs are still numb. He started crawling towards the sound of water, using every ounce strength he could manage to pull himself.

After what seemed like forever, he saw what the source of the water was: A river. He quickly crawled towards it and dunk his head into the water and drank the water. He did find one thing odd however, he was sticking his head underwater longer than he should be able to, and he wasn't even holding his breath. But it didn't matter, this was the best water he has ever tasted.

When he was finally done, he lifted his head out of the water, feeling fresh and rejuvenated.

It was then, he noticed something in the water.

A blue creature, with orange fins on its cheeks stared at him through the water.

A Mudkip...? He could have sworn he didn't see any Mudkips in the water when he was drinking. Did it notice him while he was drinking him?

He tried reaching out towards the mudfish Pokemon, but strangely, the Mudkip reached out as well, as if mimicking its every move. When he touched the water, the water simply rippled, he did not touch the Mudkip, but it was still there. Getting more confused, he opened his mouth, and the Mudkip did as well, he stretched his arms, turned his head, all of it the Mudkip mimicked perfectly.

It was then he came to a very grim conclusion: That was a reflection, of himself.

No no no no no no no! He started to panic, he looked at the reflection once more, the Mudkip stared back at him again. It wasn't a wild Mudkip that was staring at him.

HE was the Mudkip.

His heart started pounding, he suddenly felt like he wanted to faint from the shock, but he couldn't. That would explain why he wasn't able to stand up, because he was a quadruped. He had too many questions racing through his head. He slowly breathed in, and exhaled.

"Alright, let's try to remember everything you can..." He said to himself. "My name... what's my name...?"

He thought of it for a moment and suddenly a name he assumed was his popped into his head.

"Ian, my name is Ian." He said. "What did you do last night?" Nothing appeared in his mind. "Where do you live?" Nothing. "What are the names of your parents?!" Once again, nothing.

Ian concentrated as hard as he could, hoping that something, anything would come into his head! But there was nothing.

He had lost all of his memories, and he was no longer a human.

Ian then realized if another possibility, he was dreaming. It makes sense! This is all just a dream and when I wake up, I'll be back to my normal, human self, possibly in a comfy bed. But now the question: How to get out from this nightmare?

He looked next to him, and saw a tree. A very stupid idea came in mind. He approached the tree and aligned his head right in front of it. Ian was going to knock his head as hard as he could, and hoped that it would cause him to wake up.

"Here goes nothing," He said to himself. He inhaled, and exhaled and counted to three.

One... two... three!

He slammed his head as hard as he could onto the tree bark, his head screamed in pain as he fell on his back onto the grass, clenching his head.

"Okay, maybe that wasn't such a good idea..." He said.

When he finally recovered, he realized that he was still right where he was, only now with a headache. The pain was real enough to tell him that he wasn't dreaming.

Guess this is it then... I'm going to be stuck as a Mudkip for the rest of my life then. He wanted to cry so hard right now, but forced himself not to, it wasn't going to change anything.

"Alright," Ian said. "I guess I just have to start walking through this forest, I'm been standing around here for a very long ti-"

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP."

Ian quickly turned to the sound of the noise, and just then, as if they appeared out of thin air, three orange looking things floated in front of him, they head rectangular shaped heads and small arms.

"Beheeyems...?" He concluded.

The three Beheeyems faced each other and started flashing lights to each other with their hands. They then started to approach Ian.

"Uh... I assume this is friendly greeting?" He nervously asked.

The Beheeyems replied with one of them taking a swing at him, barely missing Ian's face.

"Can't we just talk about this guys?"

The Beheeyem swung at him again, this time hitting him, pain flowed quick through the rest of his body.

"Ah, to hell with this!" Ian said, as he dashed off in the opposite direction, hoping to lose his new foes in the forest. He clumsily tripped every five steps, still trying to get used to his new way of walking on four legs instead on two. Just then, out in the distance, he noticed a figure getting closer as he ran towards it. When he was close enough he was able to make out a few features.

Brown in colour, standing on two legs, has a leaf on his head and had a very long nose. Before he could make out any features, he underestimated his speed and crashed right into the Pokemon, causing the both of them to all straight on their backs.

"Good job Ian..." Ian smartly remarked to himself, as he got off the ground.

"What in the world is going on with you?!"

Ian's eyes widened in shock, did that Pokemon just talk...? B-but how is that possible?!

"What's the matter?" The Pokemon said, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Ian was sure of it, that Pokemon, in fact, just talked to him in perfect English.

I think I'm going insane...

Just then, he heard the beeping from behind him again. The mudfish Pokemon turned around and saw the three Beheeyems chasing after him, one of them launched a white beam-like projectile from its hand and landed near their feet, taking them by surprise.

"Woah, what the heck?!" The Pokemon exclaimed.

The Beheeyem launched another attack, missing as well.

"We best get out of here!"

Ian nodded and followed after the leaf headed Pokemon. He has woken up in a strange world with talking Pokemons and with no memories of what happened to him.

As if his day wasn't bad enough, Ian was sure things are going to get even worse from here on out.

* * *

A/N: So what do you guys think? I personally think that this a much more well written than before. But what do you think? Leave me a review and tell me what you think.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	2. Serene Village

"I-I think we lost them..." The Pokemon said.

"Yeah... I think so..." Ian said. Panting from exhaustion.

"Whooowee! I feel like I'm going to collapse! Hold on, I haven't introduced myself yet haven't I?"

Ian shook his head.

"Oh my! Where are my manners? Name's Nuzleaf, and what about you? What's a kid doing out here all alone?"

Ian gasped at the mention of his age. He thinks I'm a kid...?!

"Woah! Was it something I said?"

"N-no... It's nothing." Ian reassured.

Nuzleaf titled his head in suspicion.

"You're an odd fellow, what's your name?"

"My name is Ian." He replied.

"Ian, that's a nice name." Nuzleaf said. "So tell me, Ian. Why were those Beheeyem chasing after you?"

"I-I don't know..."

"You don't know?! There has to be a reason why they attacked you!" Nuzleaf said. "Unless... You pulled a prank on them!"

What?! Ian thought.

"Tch, kids these days, having no respect for their elders whatsoever."

He thinks I'm a kid...?! Ian thought.

"Woah woah woah woah woah! Hold up! I didn't pull any prank or anything! I swear!" Ian defended.

"Then why did they attack you?"

"I don't know... I woke up in this forest with no memories, all I remember is my name and that I used to be a human."

"You say WHAT now?!" Nuzleaf exclaimed. "Hu-human?!"

"Yeah..."

"Bu-but you look like a normal Mudkip to me! Are you pulling a trick on me somethin?"

Ian quickly shook his head, denying Nuzleaf's allegations.

"Say I do believe you, that you're a human. What exactly are you going to do?" Nuzleaf asked.

Ian pondered that for moment, it's true, he had no where to go. He was basically in an unknown environment.

"You're not sure eh...? I figured as much. Well then, I best take my leave then. I'm sure you would get back your memories, and go back to wherever you came from. Fare thee well." Nuzleaf said, as he went his separate way.

"Wai-wait!" Ian yelled.

Nuzleaf stopped and look back at Ian.

"I-I don't know what to do... And for a kid like me all alone in this forest... I don't think I'll last a second..." Ian said, tears rolling down his eyes.

Nuzleaf clenched his fists, he didn't what to do with this kid, but... he couldn't just leave him here all by himself.

"Arghhh! Consarn it! Alright, you win." He said. "I'll take you back to my place in Serene Village, sound good.?"

"Really?!" Ian exclaimed.

"Yeah yeah, I can't just leave a kid in these woods all by himself."

"All right! Thank you Nuzleaf!"

"Now let's go, Serene Village is quite far. So we best get moving."

"Right!" Ian replied.

As the two started heading out for Serene Village. Ian smiled to himself for thinking that one up. Granted, he felt bad for tricking Nuzleaf. But hey, anything was better than being all alone in a forest.

Score one for persuasion.


	3. The Partner Of A Lifetime

"There it is, Serene Village." Nuzleaf said, pointing at the small village in the distance.

Ian saw the village, and was relived they had finally reached their destination. The journey had took them almost 2 days, crossing over mountains, traversing through lush forests sleeping under the night sky. Throughout it all Ian couldn't gaze his eyes away from the beautiful scenery this world has to offer. Perhaps this world wasn't so bad after all.

"Come on, we ain't got all day." Nuzleaf said.

Ian nodded, as he continued to follow Nuzleaf down the path to Serene Village. As they got closer to the village, Ian noticed a giant tree, standing tall on top of a cliff overlooking the village.

"You see that giant tree over there? That's what you could call a "landmark" for our little village." Nuzleaf explained.

"I see" Ian replied.

The two continued to follow the path, until they had entered Serene Village. The atmosphere there was rather peaceful, it was quiet, there were people just chatting and having fun. It really lives up to its name. Nuzleaf led Ian up a small hill until it reached a small house.

"This here's my house." Nuzleaf said. "Come on in, make yourself at home."

Nuzleaf entered the house and Ian followed him in.

It was a rather small house, with a single hay bed on one end of the room and a window illuminating the room. Crates of food are placed in another corner of the room.

"Over here." Nuzleaf directed. Leading Ian into a side room. It was a small room, slightly smaller than the previous room.

"You can bunk down in this room for now." Nuzleaf said.

"Thanks Nuzleaf, you're real lifesaver." Ian said.

"Don't mention it, I can't just be leavin a kid like you in the middle of nowhere." He replied. "So, did you get any of your memories back? Know anywhere that you need to go?"

Ian tried thinking hard, hoping that something, anything would pop up in his head. But to no avail.

"No... I still can't remember anything." He said disappointingly.

"That's a real shame..." Nuzleaf said. "I guess you're going to have to lay low here for awhile. Until somethin comes back to you. From the looks of you, you look like around school age."

He still thinks I'm a kid? Ian thought. Surprised that turning into a Pokemon somehow change his age.

"I think it's best that I enroll you into the village school. After all, wouldn't want to get the villagers suspicious if they see not going to school."

"I guess I have no other choice." Ian said.

"Good, I'll get to it immediately." Nuzleaf said. As he was about to leave, Nuzleaf stopped and faced Ian. "Now, under any circumstances, do NOT leave the house. You hear me? Do NOT step foot out of this house. No matter what. Understood?"

"Understood." Ian replied.

"Good, I best leave now before the sun sets. See you later!" Nuzleaf said as he left the house, leaving Ian alone.

Ian took a look around his new room. It looked more like a storeroom than a place to sleep in. But it was better than nothing. He found a bale of hay laying in the corner and decided to set up his bed. He had seen Nuzleaf do it the night before, so he knew what to do.

"Not too shabby Ian, not too shabby." He said to himself.

Just then, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It came from the window. He decided to take a closer look. Just then, a large shadowy figure appear just outside the window.

"Gah!"

The shadowy figure went away when Ian screamed in shock. The sound of footsteps could be heard outside. Getting closer and closer to the house entrance.

Who was that?! Ian thought. Could it be the Beheeyems? That couldn't be possible, how did they followed him all the way here? He didn't know what to do, he needed to check if they were indeed the Beheeyem. But he had been given instructions not to leave the house. The feeling of paranoia got to him. He had to check.

Ian cautiously inched his way towards the entrance, making sure his footsteps doesn't make a sound. As he stepped out, he took a good look around.

No one.

Was I just imagining things? The journey here did wore him out. But he felt like he couldn't let his guard-.

"I knew it!"

Ian jumped back in shock when he heard the voice form behind him. He turned around and in from of him was an orange furred fox, smiling in excitement.

A Fennekin?!

"I knew I wasn't imagining you entering Mr Nuzleaf's house!" The Fennekin said. "You're not SERIOUSLY Nuzleaf's kid are you?"

"I-I uh wha...?"

"So are you new around here? Where are you from?"

"Well uh I don't exactly know how to-"

"You're new then! Nice to meet you! I live right next door to you along with my old pops!" The Fennekin said, pointing at the blue house that was close to Nuzleaf's house.

"Since you're new here, I think I should give you a tour around the village! Come on!" She said, as she started pushing Ian along.

"Woah he-hey!"

"Chop chop! Let's not waste any time!"

The Fennekin pushed Ian down the road and made a left along the intersection.

"So what's your name? I forgot to ask!"

"M-my name is Ian! And I appreciate if you would stop pushing me!" Ian protested.

She stopped dead in her track when she heard that.

"Oh don't be such a big Milktank! You see what I did there? With the Milktank?"

Honestly, he didn't get what she was implying.

"Well, my name is Patience! And this is Serene Village!" Patience said. Revealing to Ian the village's plaza. Filled with shops and people doing their usual daily activities.

"It may not look like much. But we got all the basic facilities here." Patience said. "Now let's see... If you look to your left, there's the-"

"There you are Patience!"

The two turned around to see where the voice came from. A green looking Pokemon ran up to them, with an annoyed expression on his face.

"L-Lombre!" Patience said.

"You! You're the one who trampled over my lotus pond!" Lombre yelled.

"W-well, I was just having a little adventure that's all!" Patience replied nervously.

"There you are!" Another voice said.

Patience turned around and saw a large orange Pokemon running towards them.

"Hippopotas!"

"You! You are ze one who stole me treasure form my cave!" Hippopotas said.

"We-well... Since I completed the dungeon, it was only logical that I get a treasure at the end!" Patience said.

"Vhy you little... Give me back my treasure!"

"Wow, would look at the time." Patience said nervously. "I got to go now, see you arou-"

"Not so fast, Patience."

Patience turned around and in front of her was a large blue Pokemon, with a shell on its back.

"P-pops?!" Patience exclaimed.

Ian was just standing there quietly, staring in confusion at what is going on right now.

"Oh! It's ole Carracosta!" Lombre said.

"What are you doing out here child?" Carracosta said. "Don't you have to do your chores?!"

"But pops! I have a good reason this time! I was just showing-"

"I don't want to hear about that child. I know you have been snacking on my Oran Berries again!" Carracosta accused.

"What?! Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!"

"Don't you lie to me child." Carracosta said. " I want the truth from you!"

"Alright, I did! And they were delicious!" Patience said sheepishly.

Everyone, including Ian. Were at a lost for words. Still processing what the fire fox Pokemon had just said.

"Hey! I see Patience!" A voice from a distance said.

"Uh-oh." Patience said.

"Everyone! Patience sighted! Repeat! Patience sighted!"

Just then, a mob of Pokemon came storming from a distance. All after Patience.

"Listen, I gotta go now Ian." Patience said. "I'll see you another time!"

Patience dashed off from Ian, with the mob of angry Pokemon giving chase shortly after. Leaving Ian by himself in the middle of the plaza.

"Ten minutes in this village and I feel like I'm going to regret it." Ian said


	4. The First Day Of School

Ian woke up with a sharp pain in his head. Feeling like a Pokemon had just pummelled him in the head. Oh wait, that was exactly what happened yesterday. After seeing Patience being chased by an angry mob, Ian had noticed two Pokemon, one that looked like a pink deer, and the other like a small helmet, using it as if it was a shell. The two Pokemon we arguing about how the shell Pokemon and his friend "Pancham" had dared someone called "Goomy" to wander into the "Foreboding Forest" alone. Being the curious Mudkip that he was, he decided to follow them to see what was going on. He saw the deer Pokemon arguing again with the shell Pokemon along with a third Pokemon who looked like a panda, which Ian assumed was Pancham. No one dared entering the forest because of how creepy it was. But then he just had the bright idea of intervening, volunteering himself to go look for Goomy. It wouldn't have been too bad of all the Pokemon weren't vicious and he knew how to use his attacks. He still wasn't used to his new self yet. After traversing through the dungeon, almost fainting from his injuries. He found Goomy and rescued him. Goomy and the deer Pokemon were thankful for what he had done. But Nuzleaf wasn't happy when he heard that. He got angry for awhile, but soon became pretty calm about it.

"I understand how you want to go out and go adventuring, since you just arrive to this world and all." Nuzleaf said.

Ian finally got out of his bed, after his head had stopped pounding. He had to get up early anyway, it was his first day of school. When Ian left his room, he saw Nuzleaf, preparing breakfast for the two of them.

"Mornin Ian." Nuzleaf said. "Slept well last night?"

"Well, if you don't count the multiple bruises from slashing, scratching, biting and being set on fire. Then yeah, I slept like a log." Ian said sarcastically.

"Right... Anyway, get yourself ready and eat up. It's your first day of school."

"Oh joy..." Ian mumbled to himself.

"I'll head there with you this time, but after that you'll be walking to school on your own alright?"

"Understood." Ian said.

After eating, Ian and Nuzleaf head out for the village school. Which was quite a distance from the house. The school was at the north end of the village plaza. Despite it still early in the morning, there were Pokemon already out and about. Pokemon doing their daily shopping with Kecleon, who runs a shop in the village.

After walking for a few minutes, the two finally reached the school. The classroom, well, it couldn't really be classified as a room when there wasn't a roof. It had 9 tables in rows of three, and a chalkboard hanging off a tree.

"This way, I'll take you to see the principal." Nuzleaf said.

Beside the class, was a flight of stairs that lead to three buildings. Ian assumed that the building in the center was where the principal resided.

As they entered the building, Ian saw two Pokemon, one sitting by a desk, and the other standing next to it."

"Why hello there Nuzleaf!" The Pokemon by the desk said. "I see you've brought the child with you!"

"Yes Principal Simipour, this was the kid I was talking about yesterday." Nuzleaf said.

"What?! Sir, do you really think this is a good idea?!" The other Pokemon said. "We already have enough troublemakers in our class already!"

"Now, now Vice Principal Watchog." Simipour said. "We must never judge a book by its cover, especially if it's a child."

"But-!"

"Now, child. Why don't you introduce yourself!" Simipour said to Ian. Waving him to come forward.

Ian nervously shuffled his way forward in front of Simipour. Sweat dripping off his face.

"H-hi, m-my name is Ian..." Ian said.

"Ian! What a lovely name!" Simipour exclaimed.

"Now you listen here Ian." Watchog said. "When you're in this school, I don't want to hear any kind of trouble from you. You hear me?

"Ye-yes, sir." Ian reluctantly said.

"Good, then welcome to the village school Ian."

"Ring-ding Ring-ding Ring-ding"

A wooden bell chimed, indicating that class had begun.

"Well? Shall we introduce you to your new classmates?" Simipour said.

"Well, I best be going now." Nuzleaf said. "You take care of yourself now Ian."

"Will do."

As Nuzleaf left the room, Simipour got up from his desk and showed Ian to his new class, with Watchog following behind. When he reached the class, there were kids already taking their seats. Next to chalkboard was a Pokemon who was holding a leek. Simipour excused the Pokemon and stepped in front of the class.

"Good morning, class!" Simipour announced.

"Good morning, Principal Simipour." The entire class said.

"Good! I see everyone is pumped up for another exciting day for school!" Simipour noticed that there the entire front row was empty.

"Hm? I see we have one missing from class today."

"It's the troublemaker! Late as always!" Watchog stated.

"Anyway, boys and girls! We have a new student with us today!"

The whole class reacted in shock, which left Ian confused. Upon closer inspection he finally noticed. The deer Pokemon, Goomy, the shell Pokemon and Pancham.

"Wa-wait! You're the kid form yesterday!" Goomy exclaimed.

"Goomy?!" Ian said in surprise.

"Well now, I see that you've all already met! Good job, Ian!" Simipour said.

"Uh... Yeah, thanks..." He replied.

"So, as of today, Ian will be joining our class! Let us all welcome him with a-"

Suddenly a loud thumping noise could be heard from a distance. The sound of distant thunder. As if a horde of Pokemon were running. From a distance, Ian could make out what was causing the noise, a lone Pokemon, orange fur, big ears...

Patience?! Ian thought.

"I'm going to be laaaaaaaaate!" She yelled. Running through the gates and towards the class. Heading straight to Ian.

"No no no no no no no no!" Ian yelled, hoping Patience would stop just in time. But it was too late, she had rammed into him at high speed, all the force transferring into his body. His pain receptors going haywire as he slammed straight into the ground.

"The troublemaker!" Warthog exclaimed.

"Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" Patience apologized. Only noticing who she had bumped into.

"Ian?" She asked.

Ian, with his entire body in pain. Adding to the bruises that he had suffered from yesterday. Made his entire body unmovable, he couldn't feel his entire body.

"In the... flesh..." Ian managed to mutter before losing consciousness.


	5. The First Of Many Adventures

Ian woke up with a sharp pain in his head, wait, he felt a sense of Deja Vu. He opened his eyes and a flash of light blinded his eyes. His eyes took awhile to adjust to the lighting of the room. The last thing he remembered was being body slammed by Patience, knocking him out cold.

Ian got up from the bed that he was on and saw a pink Pokemon who was busy placing medical equipment into a box. The Pokemon turned around when it heard Ian awakening.

"Oh! You're finally awake!" The Pokemon said.

Ian limped towards the pink Pokemon, his legs still aching.

"Urgh... Where am I...?" Ian asked.

"You're in the school nurse's office. You've been out cold for quite awhile now."

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name." Ian said.

"Oh, where are my manners? My name is Audino, and I'm the village doctor here!" Audino said.

"For some reason, I have the sudden urge to punch you right now..." Ian mumbled.

"What was that you said?"

"Oh! Um, nothing! I didn't say anything!"

"Okay then, if you're feeling better I suggest you join back with the class, it went on without you."

"Alright then, thanks for patching me up doc!" Ian said, walking to the exit.

"Anytime my child!" Audino said, smiling and waving at the Mudfish Pokemon as he left the office.

As he walked out of the building and headed towards the class, he noticed that class had long begun. With the class listening to the teachings of the bird Pokemon with the leek. Patience was the first to notice Ian up and about.

"Hey, look! He's finally up!"

A few seconds later Ian was crowded by the students. Wanting to see if he was okay.

"I'm soooooo sorry that I ran into you Ian!" Patience apologized.

"It's fine." Ian said. "I've been through worse."

"Thanks again for saving Goomy yesterday!" The pink deer Pokemon said.

"Wait, what?!" Patience exclaimed. "You both met already?!"

"It was nothing." Ian said embarrassingly. He was never used to being praised excessively. "By the way, I never got your name."

"Me? Well I'm Deerling! Nice to meet you!" She said.

"Oi! If all of you are done introducing yourselves to the new student, there's still a class in session!" The bird Pokemon said.

"Sorry Mr Farfetche'd!" Everyone said as they got back to their seats. Ian following behind. Farfetche'd turned to face Ian.

"Ah, Ian was it?" He said.

"That's me." Ian replied.

"Allow me to first introduce myself first, my name is Farfetche'd, and I'm a your new teacher."

"One question Mr Farfetche'd." Ian interrupted. "What's with the big leek that you're carrying around?"

Ian heard the entire class snicker at his question.

"Well you see Ian, this is not a leek but a stalk. And it'll be FARFETCHED if I didn't carry one now would it?"

The entire class burst into laughter at the pun based joke that he had made.

"Anyway, if you're done asking questions, take the empty seat right next to Patience." He said.

Ian nodded and made his way to the empty seat right next to Patience, who was smiling sheepishly at him.

"Now that everyone has settled down. Let's continue with our lesson." Farfetche'd said.

As class went on as usual, Ian felt time slowing down. With the lessons feeling like a drag. Until the recess bell finally rang.

"You have 10 minutes." Farfetche'd said, as he dismissed the class.

Ian slammed his head on his desk, feeling extremely sleepy on his first day of school.

My goodness this is such a drag. He thought to himself.

"You alright Ian?"

He looked up and saw Patience, Deerling and another small Pokemon standing next to him.

"Yeah, I'll be fine..." He replied. "Who's the other Pokemon with you?"

"Oh? You mean Espurr?" Deerling said.

"It's nice to meet you." Espurr said.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too." Ian said. Feeling uneasy at Espurr's dead looking stare.

"And if you haven't known already, those two snoozing off over there are Shelmet and Pancham." Deerling said. Pointing at the two Pokemon in the back who were snoring away.

"Ring-ding Ring-ding Ring-ding Ring-ding"

As class continued on, the day continued dragging on. From Mr Farfetche'd's storytelling about a Pokemon rescue team that saved the world from a meteor, to Vice Principal Watchog's "illustrious" teaching about Pokemon moves. Until the final bell of the day rang. And Ian made his way back to Nuzleaf's house.

"Wait up Ian!"

He turned around and saw Patience, catching up to him.

"Let's walk together!" She said.

Ian decided to only nod. Not because he didn't want to talk. It was more of feeling awkward after being body slammed by her.

"Sorry about leaving you so suddenly yesterday. I had other things to attend to."

"Yeah, I noticed." Ian said.

"So what did you do after I left?" Patience asked.

"Oh you know, met up with Deerling and Shelmet, saved Goomy from the Foreboding Forest, that kind of stuff."

"What?! You WENT to the Foreboding Forest?!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, got a few bruises but I'll manage."

Patience just stood there, in shock at Ian's bravery, or recklessness.

"The bruises weren't so bad, until SOMEONE rammed into me. Making it sting like crazy!"

"I'm sorry! That was completely my fault, for being late and everything." Patience said.

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Hey, tell you what? I'll make it up to you, I know a place that would totally with a view that would totally blow your mind!"

"Sure, why not." Ian said

"Great! Let's get going then!"

Patience ran on ahead, with Ian following behind. Not even noticing Pancham and Shelmet, who were waiting by the side of the path.

"Hey! Ian!" Pancham yelled. But was simply ignored by the both of them.

"HEY!"

The two turned around, only noticing Pancham and Shelmet.

"Oh, it's you two." Ian said in an annoyed tone.

"I admit, I'm impressed at what you did at the Foreboding Forest yesterday. But I got another challenge for you, complete it, and we'll admit that you got guts."

"A challenge? Oh boy! What kind of dungeon are we going to?" Patience exclaimed, always excited for a new adventure.

"Hey! We're not talking to you!" Pancham yelled. "So, there's this place nearby, it's called the Drillbur Coal Mine. Deep in the mine there's a restricted place that no one is allowed to enter. Rumor has it that there is treasure there."

"Treasure? Oh wow!"

"Could you PLEASE keep quiet?!" Pancham yelled. Annoyed at the fire fox's energetic personality.

"I assume you want me to go down to that mine and find the treasure right?" Ian said.

"Right, but don't think it's going to be a walk in the park. Cause there's also a monster there!"

"Monster?" Ian asked.

"The supposed "guardian" of the treasure that lies at the deepest part of the mine. So, I want you to bring back a red stone from the mine. Do that, and I'll admit that you got guts." Pancham explained.

Ian hesitated for a second not knowing he should take up the challenge or not. He could just walk away from this, not having to deal with them and put himself in danger. But a part wants him to take up the challenge, to show these bozos that he has-

"We'll do it!" Patience said.

"Patience! What do you think you're doing?!" Ian exclaimed.

"Yeah, we're not asking you, we're asking Ian." Shelmet said.

"Come on Ian! Let's do it! Who knows what we'll find there." Patience whispered.

Ian thought for a second, and made his decision.

"All right Pancham, I'll bite, I accept your challenge." He said with a sense of confidence in him.

What's the worst that could happen? He thought to himself.


	6. A Dream

A lot, apparently.

Patience went running ahead of Ian back to Serene Village, as cheerful as she always was. While was following behind, wheezing in exhaustion from their time in the Drillbur Coal Mine.

After accepting Pancham's challenge, he led them to the mine where a few Drillburs were working. With the help of Patience's "persuasive" skills, they got in and made their way into the dungeon. The first of many problems, Ian still didn't know how to fully control his powers as a Pokemon. When a wild Pokemon was attacking them, all he could do was Tackle until the Pokemon went down. When Patience asked why he wasn't using a water move, he confessed.

"What?! You don't know how to use your water moves?!" Patience exclaimed.

"Well excuseeeeeeee me princess! I don't always go wandering into extremely dangerous dungeons!"

The second problem they encountered was running out of food. Thanks to the confusing layout of the mine, they got lost pretty often. Causing them to grow famished and consume the Apples they have collected. Eventually running out.

"Half for you, half for me." Patience said as she split the last Apple into two to balance both of their hungers.

After finally reaching the deepest of the mines, they found out that the monster of the mines was a Gabite. Who thought they were both thieves, wanting to steal his treasure. After a rather surprising short fight, Patience managed to explain to Gabite that they just wanted to see the treasure. With no other choice, Gabite led the two to his treasure room. A room filled with glittering stones and gems of all kinds of colors. Gabite had explained that his started collected these out of sheer fun. Eventually becoming a giant collection. Which gained the interests of many thieves to rob his priceless collection, causing him to have the Drillburs seal off this section of the mine to prevent any further thefts. Patience, been the good hearted Pokemon that she was, decided not to take any of the red stone from the room.

"The real treasure here is the memory that will forever be with me!" She exclaimed.

As the two finally reached Serene Village, they saw Pancham and Shelmet. Both eagerly waiting for their return.

"So, did you get the red stone as agreed?" Pancham asked.

"Nope! We decided not to!" Patience replied.

Pancham and Shelmet reacting in shock at Patience's reply.

"Wha-what?! You said you were going to get the red stone!" Shelmet said.

"Mr Gabite doesn't like when people take his stones!" Patience happily replied.

"You're-you're lying! You chickened out the first chance you had!" Pancham said back.

"Why don't you go down there and see for yourself?" Ian argued back, leaving the two Pokemon clearing their throats, shaking at the sheer thought of it.

"Well... I would! But-!"

" I thought so, see you around!" Ian said, leaving the two Pokemon behind and heading on their way. Ian remembered that Patience wanted to show him a really nice place, he guessed that was where they were going next.

"So where are we going?" Ian asked.

"You'll see!" Patience said. Running across the bridge that separates the plaza and the residential houses. She made a left, heading to the outskirts of the village, where Ian and entered from the first time he came here.

As the two ran up the hill, Ian had an idea where this spot may be. The giant tree.

"Here it is! My favourite spot in the village!" Patience exclaimed.

Ahead of them was a rather scenic view of the entire village. A gust of wind blew past them.

"Come on, sit with me." She requested.

Ian nodded and sat down the next to the fire fox Pokemon, admiring the scenery.

"This is a favourite spot to relax among villagers, I come here all the time to relax." Patience explained.

"This... this place is beautiful..." Ian said, in awe at the sight of Serene Village.

"Yup! "The best place to relax in the Water Continent!" That's what a lot of people say about Serene Village."

Ian remained silent, still taking in the remarkable sight, for the past few days he has been occupied with so many things that he never got the chance to see what this world had to offer.

"Do you see those towering clouds up there Ian?" She asked.

"What about them?" Ian replied.

"They're even taller than this tree we're sitting under. Stretching across the endless sky. But when the world looks up at them, even they look tiny from so far away. It sure makes you marvel at how big this world is..." Patience said.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I want to be like those clouds."

"Like the clouds?" Ian asked.

"I want to race away from the village, and see everything that this world has to offer. For I have a dream, a dream of one day joining the Expedition Society."

"Expedition Society?" Ian asked.

"Yup, a group of Pokemon whose main goal is to make a map of the world!" Patience said.

"A map of the world? Are you saying there are a lot of unexplored areas?"

"The world is filled with places called "Mystery Dungeons", no one really knows why." She explained. "Some say it's the world going out of balance, some say it was caused by an incident involving "Time Gears" in a continent far from here. No one really knows why."

Time Gears... Sounds like a really interesting name for a treasure of sorts.

"That's why... that's why I want to make a map of the world! I can have so many adventures and meet all kinds of Pokemon. But... I can't..."

"Why not?" Ian asked.

"The society doesn't allow kids to join... And even if they do, I doubt any of the grown-ups would allow me to just up and leave the village..."

"I see..."

"But that won't stop me, I'll show everyone in the village! Show them that Patience has what it takes to join the Expedition Society!"

Ian couldn't help but smile at her determination, she had a respectable dream. One that he's sure that she could achieve one day.

Patience stood up and turned to face Ian.

"Would help me achieve my dreams? Even when no one else would?"

Ian was taken back by the sudden question. Would he? He asked himself. He didn't know why he even came to this world. Who knows? Maybe if they do leave the village, he might find out the reason he was sent here, or who he was in his human life. He stood up, finally deciding what he wanted to know.

"Sure! I'll help you out." Ian replied. Showing an encouraging smile. "It's a dream that I respect."

"Really?! You would?!" She asked.

Ian nodded and was soon pulled into a hug. Finally, she had found someone who would help her. Someone... Who would support her dream. Ian, surprised at the sudden move by Patience decided to embrace the hug. Not wanting to spoil the moment for her.

"Thank you... Ian." She said.


	7. Field Trip

Rayquaza soared through the ozone layer, flying as fast as he could to escape the area. He couldn't believe what he had just witness.

"That... That thing...! It's moves were unlike anything I've ever seen!" He said to himself

Rayquaza had resided in the Sky Pillar when he noticed a dark purple beam, shooting past the pillar. Upon investigation, the beam originated from Mt Steel. When Rayquaza arrived there, he noticed... someone, at the corner of its eye. A shadowy figure, who shot the beam at Rayquaza when it noticed his presence, merely missing by a few centimeters. Causing Rayquaza to retreat. He may be dealing with just one Pokemon, but he was dealing with an unknown threat, it used a move that he has never seen before. What was the power that shadowy figure yield? He thought to himself.

"For the first time in my life..." Rayquaza said.

"I feel true fear...!"

* * *

Ian woke up as usual for another day of school. As he walked out of his room, he was surprised to see the place empty, Nuzleaf nowhere to be found.

"Odd... I wonder where Nuzleaf went?" Ian said to himself, as he then notice a piece of paper on the ground.

"A note...?"

He began reading it. It was from Nuzleaf.

"Ian, I sure am sorry about this. Something urgent came up and I have to get straight to it. I'm going to have to be away for a few days, that means you have the whole house to yourself-"

"Wait... What does Nuzleaf even work as anyway?" Ian asked himself. Reminding himself to ask Nuzleaf about that when he gets back. He continued reading the note.

"-I left enough food for you in the storage crates. So that shouldn't be a problem. I'll be seeing ya, and you best not be skippin school!"

Well then, guess that means I'm going to be home alone for a few days. Ian thought. He honestly never considered idea. But he he wouldn't want to do that, the last thing he needed from this village is suspicion.

"Gooooood morning Ian!"

That must be Patience. He thought, remembering what had happened yesterday at the big tree by the hill. He picked up the note and placed it in the bin that was near the door, then headed out to see Patience, with a warm smile on her face.

"Good morning Patience." Ian said.

"Come on! We wouldn't want to be late for school!" Patience exclaimed.

"Funny, cause I could have sworn you were late for school yesterday." Ian replied.

"Oh hush now. Let's just get going."

"Lead the way."

As Patience skipped happily away, Ian stood there pondering. He felt... something every time he sees Patience. Was it her enthusiasm? Or was it just having her around that gives him this feeling. Either way, Ian felt comfortable every time Patience was around, he didn't have to be extremely cautious to everyone he sees.

Just then a small ball of flame landed near his feet, causing Ian to panic and fall on his feet. When he recovered, he'd realized that it was from Patience's Ember.

"Earth to Ian? We have a class that we're running late to?"

"You didn't have to scare me you know!" As he said that, Ian suddenly blew out a bunch of bubbles from his mouth, also landing near Patience.

"Woah! You finally learned how to use your move!" She exclaimed.

"Huh, guess I did." Was all Ian could say.

"Well anyway let's stop messing about and get to school!" Patience yelled. Getting slightly impatient.

Ian nodded and dashed off after Patience who was off like the wind.

"She may be hard to get to know with, but I can tell she's a good Pokemon." Ian mumbled to himself.

The two dashed as fast as they could, through the plaza and into the path that leads to the school. Until finally reaching school, with enough time to spare.

At the gates, they saw Vice Principal Watchog, who was greeting Deerling and Goomy.

"Good morning Vice Principal Wathog!" Patience greeted.

"Well well well, if it isn't the Troublemaker. And surprisingly on time." Watchog stated.

"Yup! I won't ever be late again!" She said.

"We'll see about that..."

Patience and Ian walked into past Watchog and class began as usual.

* * *

When third period came around, it was Vice Principal Watchog's who teaches Basic Dungeon Skills to the students. As everyone gathered at the field near the class to begin the lesson.

"Alright class, listen up." Watchog announced. "Today we're going to have a field trip."

The class cheered in excitement.

"All right! A field trip!" Pancham said.

"This is going to be so much fun!" Deerling said.

"Alright everyone, settle down! Today you'll be exploring the School Forest that is just behind me. This is going to be a kind of competition, you'll be split into two teams. Your goal is to retrieve one of the two flags deep inside the forest, first one to retrieve the flag and return here wins."

A competition? Ian thought. Now that's something that has my attention.

"Vice Principal Watchog?" Espurr said.

"Hm? What is it Espurr?"

"There are seven of us here. How are we going to split into two teams?" She stated.

"I am fully aware of that, Espurr. But thank you for pointing that out. Because of the uneven number of students in the class. One of you is going to have sit this one out."

Everyone looked at each other, wondering who would have to stay behind.

"Now, I will announce the teams." Watchog continued. "Team Watchog The Almighty!: Pancham, Shelmet and Deerling!"

Deerling reacted in horror at the discovery of her teammates.

"What?! Pancham and Shelmet?!" She exclaimed, turning to see Pancham and Shelmet, both quietly cheering.

"Alright! We get to be with Deerling!" Pancham whispered to Shelmet.

"Now don't you worry Deerling, we'll make sure to protect you. We'll even risk our lives for you, oh ho ho ho...!" Shelmet said, blushing.

"Ugh..." Was all she replied to them.

"Guess it's you'll be sticking with us Goomy, not literally." Ian said.

"I don't get it..." The soft tissue Pokemon said.

"So that leaves me to stay behind." Espurr said.

"Correct." Watchog said. "You'll be in charge of communications for the trip."

"Communications?" Ian asked. "How's she supposed to do that?"

"Oh yeah, I guess you don't know about it yet." Patience said. "You see, Espurr here is a Psychic-type. So she is able to communicate with us through telepathy."

"Ohhhh, now I get it." Ian replied.

"If everyone is settled with their teams, please pick one of your members to take this box from me." Watchog said. Carrying two small boxes.

Ian volunteered to take the box from Watchog, Pancham taking the other box.

"Now, I want you to open the box and examine its contents."

Ian and Pancham opened the box as ordered to find all sorts of items inside.

"You'll be using these items for the duration of this trip, be mindful of the amount though, you only have a limited supply."

Inside the box were all kinds of items to help them on this trip: Apples, Oran Berries, Tiny Reviver Seeds, Elixirs, and... Sticks? Ian picked one up and examined it.

"How would sticks help us with our-"

"Be careful with that Ian!" Watchog yelled. "What you're holding isn't an ordinary stick! It is actually a Warp Wand that teleports anything it hits to a random loca-"

Suddenly, Watchog vanish out of thin air, causing everyone to panic.

"What the heck just happened?!" Deerling yelled.

Everyone then turned to face Ian, who accidentally pointed the wand directly at Watchog and it somehow managed to activate the wand, teleporting Watchog.

"Uh-oh..." Was his only reply.

"Dudeeeeeee! You just teleported the Vice Principal!" Pancham said. "That's hardcore man!"

"How could you say that?!" Deerling protested. "He could be anywhere now! We need to inform Principal Simipour about thi-"

A loud thudding noise erupted from beneath their feet, a few seconds later a hole bust open nearby and an arm popped out.

"Vice Principal Watchog!" Everyone yelled.

Watchog crawled out of the hole, covered with dirt. He was wheezing from exhaustion.

He had been teleported 2 meters underground.

"Oh my goodness, Vice Principal Watchog I'm so sorry about that! The wand activated and I didn't know how and it was pointing directly at you and-"

Watchog interrupted Ian and took the now useless wand from his hands.

"Never. Do that. Again." Watchog said.


	8. Burden

"We've come a pretty long way." Patience said.

"I have a feeling we're getting closer to the flags now." Ian replied.

After Ian's "mishap" with Vice Principal Watchog, the two teams traverse into the School Forest in search of the flags. Ian, Patience and Goomy having a smooth journey so far. Encountering only light resistance from wild Pokemon. With Ian finally being able to use Bubble. It made things easier for the team.

"You think Pancham and the others reached the flag already?" Goomy asked.

"Who knows, the only way to find out is that if we-"

". ..."

"What the...?! What's that beeping noise?!" Ian exclaimed. The source of the sound felt like it was coming directly from his head.

". ..."

"It's Espurr's telepathy!" Patience exclaimed.

"Wait, how would you know that?" Ian asked.

"It's a really complicated thing about codes and stuff." Goomy explained. "The less you know the better."

"Hello..., can you hear me?" Espurr's voice said from inside their heads.

"Yes! We read you loud and clear Espurr!" Patience replied.

"That's a relief, what is your status?"

"We're making good progress, I think. Ian said. "What about the other team?"

"Pancham's team is doing fine too, they still have not reached the flags yet."

"Wait! I think I see a clearing up ahead!" Patience exclaimed in excitement. "We'll talk later Espurr!"

"Very well then, Espurr out."

A single beep was heard, most likely as a signal to end communication.

"Come on! I think I see something ahead!" Patience said, running off ahead of Ian and Goomy.

"Wa-wait! Patience!" Ian yelled, chasing after Patience. Leaving Goomy behind.

"Gu-guys...?! Wa-wait up...!"

* * *

"There it is! The flags!"

Patience and Ian stopped dead in their tracks, arriving at a clearing with two yellow flags placed there.

"Two flags!" Patience exclaimed. "That means we're the first team here!"

The two cheered and gave each other a high-five for a job well done.

"Victory sure is sweet, right Goomy?" Ian said, but the silence was his only reply. "Goomy?" He turned around and was shocked to see nothing behind. Goomy nowhere in sight.

"Oh no... Patience...?!"

"What is it Ian?"

"I... I think we left Goomy behind!" He exclaimed. His mind in a state of panic.

"We'll try to find him on the way out, right now I'm going to go get the flag." She said, as she removed the flag from its stand.

"This isn't good... What if we can't find him? It's our heads on the line for leaving him behind. You shouldn't have ran ahead too far when you-"

"WE'RE GOING TO FIND HIM ALRIGHT?!" Patience yelled. Shutting Ian up with her sudden change in personality. As she stashed the flag in a bag provided by Watchog. They slowly made their way back, searching every corner for Goomy. In the end they couldn't find him on their own, and decided to head back to seek help from the others.

"WHAAAAAT?!" Vice Principal Watchog exclaimed. "You're telling me Goomy is still in there?!"

"Yes sir... We lost him after we decided to run ahead of him to check something out..." Ian explained.

Patience simply nodded her head, being the one responsible for the incident, she couldn't bear the shame of leaving a classmate in a potentially dangerous area.

"Unacceptable! You're supposed to look out for each other! You are a team! Your task is important, but so is the welfare of your teammates!"

Ian and Patience both nodded, realizing their mistakes.

"Despite obtaining the flag and returning here." Watchog said. "You neglected a team member, and left him in the School Forest! For that, I'm declaring a tie and cancelling the exercise to search for Goomy!"

Pancham's team, who had arrived much earlier. Were quietly laughing at the event that was transpiring. Except for Deerling.

"I'll search for Goomy!" Deerling announced. "I'm not going to leave a friend behind!"

"So am I." Espurr said. "Is that okay with you, Vice Principal Watchog?"

"Yes, I will allow that." He said.

The entire class were ordered to go back into the forest to search for Goomy. It took them about half the morning, until finally, cowering under a hole was Goomy. Beside him were a few Blast Seeds he had managed to scavenge.

"If I was lost, my only option was to hold up until help arrived." He said.

Ian and Patience apologized to Goomy for leaving him behind. To which Goomy accepted, albeit half heartedly. Upon returning back, Principal Simipour had ordered for class to be dismissed early, for the search had took up most of the school's time there was no reason to continue lessons for the day.

* * *

As Ian and Patience walked back, both remain quiet, not wanting to make things awkward. Until Ian decided to break the silence.

"That move was uncalled for." Ian said.

"I know..." Patience replied.

"I thought you knew better? Running off from the group like that."

"Hey! So did you!" She shot back.

"Fine! I'm also part of the blame for this, but I couldn't just have you running off on you own, potentially putting you, me, and Goomy in danger!"

Patience stopped dead in her tracks and faced Ian.

"And what good is just sticking with a group and not taking some risks?!" She yelled.

"Because that "risk" is going to jeopardize everyone in the long run!" He honestly didn't liked where this was going, but there was no turning back from this argument.

"You're too protective Ian... Why's that...?"

Ian kept quiet, he had a really good reason to be extremely cautious. It's just that no one in this world would accept it.

"What's the matter? You don't know? Or don't want to?" She said.

"I rather not talk about it..." Ian replied.

Patience wasn't having any of it, and said something she would come to regret.

"You're a coward."

Ian was shocked to hear that, from Patience of all people. He approached her and asked her a question.

"What... did you just say...?!" He asked, in a serious tone.

"You heard me, a coward. That's the only reason I see. You try to act all brave and noble. But deep down... you're scared."

"Don't you DARE call me that!" Ian hissed. Slowly getting aggressive.

"Then tell me! Tell me what's the reason for your constant overprotectiveness!" She yelled.

Ian finally snapped.

"It's because of YOU alright?!" Ian said.

"M-me...?"

"You're annoying presence keeps getting in my way! With all your constant "side-tracking" in dungeons that keeps getting us lost! And don't even get me started on how many times I've covered your ass thanks to your mistakes!"

Patience shook at that sentence, hurt by Ian's harsh words.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A BURDEN TO ME!" Ian yelled. "With incompetence like that..., you don't have what it takes to join the Expedition Society."

That last sentence finally broke Patience. Ian realized what he had just spurt out without thinking, and immediately regretted it.

"I get it now..." She said softly, her voice cracking. "You're right, that was uncalled for, I'm too weak to achieve my goals..."

"Patience I didn't mean to-"

"Don't. I've heard enough... I guess everyone was right after all... I'm... I'm..."

Patience ran past Ian, pushing him to the side.

"Patience! I'm-"

"Leave me be!" Were her last words, as she disappeared from sight. Ian noticed tears streaming down her face before losing sight of her.

"I'm sorry..."


	9. A Stormy Evening

"Your drink's getting cold." A tall brown Pokemon said.

Ian snapped back into reality when he heard that. Nearly losing his balance and falling off his seat.

"Oh, sorry... I didn't see you there." Ian said. Staring at the cup with green liquid in it.

"This is... It's green." He said.

"Well, that was what YOU ordered after stumbling in here, sheltering from the storm."

Did he? Ian couldn't remember much up until this point. He could only remember vague memories of felling mopey, after his argument with Patience. And entering the place where the villagers called the "Cafe Connection" to shelter from the storm.

Patience...

"You look like a new face around here." The Pokemon said. "What's your name child?"

"My name is Ian. I just... move in here recently with Nuzleaf." He explained.

"Oh! Mr Nuzleaf took you in? Well ain't that sweet of him!"

"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch your name." Ian asked.

"My name? Why, how rude of me! My name is Kangaskhan, and this here fellow in my pouch is my son!"

A small, purple Pokemon emerged from the pouch.

"Hi there!" He said.

A flash of lightning flashed outside and a distant thunder roared. Taking Ian by surprise.

"Something sees to be troubling you, what is it?" Kangaskhan said.

"Ho-how did you know...?!" Ian asked in surprise.

She chuckled.

"Call it "mother's intuition" if you will." She said.

Ian sighed, looking at his cup. No use hiding it from her.

"I... got into an argument with a... friend... Said some things I shouldn't have, ended up hurting her feelings..."

"Oh my, that sounds terrible! What exactly caused this?!" Kangaskhan exclaimed, pulling up a seat, wanting to hear more about this.

"Something happened at school, and we both argued about whose fault it was..., we ended spurting insults at each other, until I said something that broke her..." Ian continued explaining.

"If you don't mind me asking..." Kangaskhan interrupted. "Who exactly is this friend of yours?"

"Patience, the Fennekin."

"Patience...?! That's quite a surprise, I hardly ever see her with friends, she always keeps to herself." She said in surprise.

"Well..., she was the one who showed me around the village when I first got here." Ian said. "She seemed like a good Pokemon to me."

"She is, albeit mischievous most of the time." Kangaskhan admitted. "She must have saw you as a perfect opportunity to try and become friends with. With you being new and all."

"She can take that opportunity and throw it right out the window after what happened today. Oh man..." Ian said, covering his face in shame.

"There there." Kangaskhan said, comforting Ian. "I know that you didn't mean to hurt her, and so did she. There would always be conflicts among friends, but time heals all wounds. And when both have apologised to each other, their bonds come out stronger than ever. So just give it time, I'm sure the both of you will forgive each other in due time!"

"You really think so..?" Ian asked, with a felling of doubt.

"Of course, child! There would always be ups and downs in a friendship. So don't worry so much about it!"

Although Ian still was doubtful about it, he still felt relived. Like a huge boulder had just been lifted off his back after talking about it. Maybe she is right, maybe Patience forgive him. And so will he.

"Thanks Kangaskhan. You really made me feel better about all this." Ian said.

"Anything for a child like you!" Kangaskhan exclaimed. "Now... your drink."

"Oh yeah!" Ian exclaimed. "I completely forgotten about it!"

Ian grabbed the cup from the table and raised it.

"Cheers." He said. Before gulping it down. It wasn't until he had finished it he realised what it tastes like. He started coughing and gagging, almost choking on the drink. Until finally managing to swallow it.

"What garbage is this?!" Ian exclaimed. Panting from his near-death experience.

"What you ordered was a Green Gummi juice." Kangaskhan explained.

"A drink for Grass-type Pokemon only."


	10. Team Orion

Foggy Forest. What was once uncharted territory and barren, has now been turned into a popular tourist attraction for explorers. Years ago, Wigglytuff's Guild held an expedition to the area, hoping to discover the then alleged "Mysterious Fogbound Lake". The expedition was a success, with the guild finding Fogbound Lake, and it's most sacred treasure, a Time Gear and a mystical sight of a fountain formed by the lake's geysers. Since then, more and more explorers from different continents starting coming, eager to see the mystical treasure. Increasing demand had cause the Exploration Team Federation to place a rest stop at the entrance of Foggy Forest. Now, even with the Temporal Tower Crisis long behind everyone, the Time Gear taken to fix it, and it's Guardian, Uxie, vanishing without a trace. There was no sight of explorers coming to visit Fogbound Lake.

Absol walked silently through the dense fog, keeping her eyes and ears open. A gust of wind blew past her, causing her to shiver a bit. She never liked patrolling this forest, it's creepy environment and a potential ambu-

Absol noticed something in the corner of her eye, a figure, that quickly disappeared from sight. A threat? Most likely. She quickly scanned the forest, hoping to catch the perpetrator in action. When she heard a rustling noise behind her, she jumped back and launched a Dark Pulse at the source. Hitting a nearby tree, and something fell from the tree. Absol approach the object to examine it. A Substitute doll.

Absol sighed in annoyance, realising who it was.

"Very funny Greninja. I'm laughing so much right now." Absol said sarcastically.

"Well you seem rather jumpy. Attacking an innocent Substitute doll like that, that's not how Team Orion does things." A voice said.

Suddenly a figure appeared out of thin air, a blue figure, it's tongue tied around its neck like a scarf.

Team Orion, the Exploration Team Federation's go-to team whenever they needed something taken care of and for good reasons. With the team being Master Rank, they rivalled with even the alluding treasure hunters, Team Charm. While that team focused more on exploration and treasure hunting. Team Orion focused more on bringing outlaws to justice, with an impressive arrest record.

"What's the matter?" Greninja asked. "You look you've seen a ghost."

"I'm sorry..." Absol apologised.

"Is there something on your mind?" The ninja Pokemon asked.

"N-no! It's nothing...!" Absol hesitated.

"Absol..."

"Alright fine." She finally confessed. "I have a really bad feeling about this mission."

"You? A bad feeling?" Greninja said in surprise. "That's unlike of you."

She can agree with Greninja there, it wasn't like her to have such doubt in a mission before. To be honest, this whole mission feels suspicious. Why would the ETF, who are damn well aware of Team Orion's reputation, be sent to capture some Pokemon who's been harassing nearby explorers. It felt like the higher-ups weren't telling them the whole story.

"It just doesn't seem right." Absol explained.

"Don't waste your time thinking about it." Greninja said. "It's not for us to question our duties, we just keep our mouths shut, do whatever the pencil pushers back home tells us to, and get paid."

Absol couldn't really follow with her partner's logic, she wasn't in it for the fame and glory. Sure, the pay was good, the constant flow of Poké keeps the team running. But Absol only did it because it was the right thing to do. Protect the people, for it was the right thing to-

"Who goes there?!" Greninja exclaimed. Shifting into a battle stance.

Absol turned around to where Greninja was facing and in the distance, a lone figure. They both were unable to make out any distinctive features, but it was staring right at them, menacingly.

"Identify yourself!" Greninja yelled. The silence only being his only reply.

"Identify yourself!" Absol repeated. Expecting a reply this time, but still nothing.

The figure took out something and held it up high. A sudden flash of light blinded the two.

"Argh...! I can't see!" Absol exclaimed.

"It's only a Luminous Orb!" Greninja exclaimed. "Careful! We might be dealing with a potential thre-"

A sudden loud bang was heard, like lightning had just struck between the two. When the light finally faded. Absol eyes took awhile to readjust, when it finally did, she noticed that the figure had vanished.

"Damn! He got away!" She exclaimed. "We should split up and search for- what the?!"

When she turned to face Greninja, she froze. The ninja Pokemon had turned completely grey, one arm still covering his face. She couldn't believe her eyes.

Greninja had been turned into stone.

"Gre-Greninja!" She exclaimed. Moving closer to investigate. She started panicking, she was all alone, with whatever that just turned her partner into stone. She leaned her back against the now-stone Greninja, unable to think straight.

"Calm down, Absol... You can do this..." She said to herself. "Just breathe in... And everything will be alrigh-"

The last thing she remembered was seeing a dark, purple beam at the corner of her eye. And then everything went dark.


	11. Looplets and Emeras

Ian woke up when the first rays of sunlight hit his eyes. He got up from his bed, throat feeling extremely sore, reminding himself never to drink anything green again.

After a quick breakfast of Apples and Oran Berries, he grabbed his bag that Kangaskhan had so generously given to him. Which he had packed with dungeon exploring supplies he bought from the Kecleon shop before heading home yesterday. And headed straight for the door.

As he stepped out the house and felt the cool morning breeze hit his face, he noticed that the sun was still barely up, it was still a bit too early for him to head off to school yet. He turned to his right and saw Patience's house, still felling guilty about yesterday. For a second he wanted to just head straight to the door and apologize to her. But..., as Kangaskhan said, give it time. He scrapped that idea and just decided to take a slow walk to school.

As he made his way to the plaza, he noticed Keckleon setting up his shop for the day, and Kangaskhan opening up the cafe. When she noticed Ian, she smiled and waved at the mudfish Pokemon, to which Ian waved back as well.

"Good morning Ian!"

Ian turned around and saw Deerling and Goomy catching up to him.

"Oh, good morning, Deerling and Goomy." He greeted.

"Oh? Patience not walking with you today?" Goomy asked, noticing the fire fox Pokemon's absence.

"Yeah... She had something to do, and asked me to go on ahead first." Ian lied.

"Is that so?" Deerling said. "Then why don't we walk with you then?" She suggested.

Ian nodded in agreement, and the three went on their way towards the path that leads to school. Everyone walked in silence for awhile, until Ian decided to break the silence.

"Goomy, about yesterday." He said.

"Don't worry about it so much." Goomy reassured. "What's done is done."

"The only thing that matters is that he's safe now right?" Deerling said. "So don't feel so down over it alright?"

"Right..."

As the three reached the school gates, they were greeted with the warm and friendly smile of Principal Simipour.

"Good morning Principal Simipour!" They greeted in unison.

"Why good morning fellow students!" Simipour greeted back. "I'm surprised to see students coming really early these days!"

"Wait..., you mean someone's already here?" Ian asked.

"Why yes! Patience arrived here just as we were opening up!"

Ian was taken by surprise at that revelation. It was quite a surprise she would come to school this early.

As the three went up to the classroom, they saw Patience, sitting all alone at her desk. With her eyes closed, as if she was in deep thought.

"Good morning, Patience." Deerling greeted, feeling a sense of uneasiness.

Patience grunted, acknowledging the deer Pokemon's presence. Ian said nothing, yesterday's events still fresh in his mind. He took his seat next to her, feeling uncomfortable with how Patience was acting. When the rest of the students had arrived to school, class began as usual.

* * *

When third period rolled around, everyone headed off to the school field for another lesson with Vice Principal Watchog.

"Alright class! Today you'll be going on another field trip!" Watchog announced.

"Another one?" Ian asked.

"Yes, another one. And this time, you'll be using a little something to help you gain the upper hand. Now, you'll be split into two teams again, and the it's the same goal as before: Take the flag at the end of Glittering Mountain and return here, with ALL your team members." Watchog said, eyeing at both Ian and Patience.

"I'll now announce the teams: Pancham, Patience and Goomy. You're in Team Almight Watchog!"

"Whatttttt?!" Pancham exclaimed. "I have to team up with Patience?!"

"Shove it, Pancham! I don't like it as much as you do!" She hostilely replied.

"Aw, what's the matter? Skitty got your tongue? Or are you just trying act all tough to scare me?"

"Why you little-!"

"That ENOUGH from both of you!" Watchog yelled. Shutting both Pancham and Patience up. "Now, for the second team, Team Glorious Watchog: Ian, Deerling and Espurr!

Ian looked over at Deerling, who nodded back at him, and Espurr, who simply remain still and focused.

"Wait, so that means I'm going to have to sit this one out then?" Shelmet asked.

"Yes Shelmet, you'll be sitting this one out." Watchog replied.

"Alright!" Shelmet cheered. "If that's the case I'll go ahead and take a na- I mean, go do some work while you're all gone!" Shelmet corrected himself.

"Anyway, I want a member from each team to collect a box from me!" Watchog announced.

Ian went ahead and collected the box from Watchog, and Patience went ahead to collect the box, but was pushed aside by Pancham.

"I'll be the one who takes the box!" He said.

"Why you little piece of-!" Patience stopped herself, not wanting to cause a scene.

Pancham smirked and just went on and took the box from Vice Principal Watchog.

"Now, if you would all open your boxes and inspect its contents." Watchog instructed.

Ian and Pancham nodded and opened the box. Inside were the usual dungeon supplies but on top of it were three ring-like objects.

"What are these, fancy bracelets?" Ian said sarcastically.

"Yes, and no." Watchog replied. "These are called Looplets, and they will be the main subject for today's lesson."

"Um, what these little holes on the side of these Looplets?" Shelmet asked.

"Excellent observation Shelmet!" Watchog praised. "That is also another subject for today's lesson, Emeras!"

Everyone stood there in confusion at what Watchog just said.

"A... What now?" Goomy asked.

"An Emera! They're tiny stones that you would fit into the little notches on the side of the Looplet. Depending on the Emera, it provides different kinds of "enhancements" to the wearer!"

Ian didn't really understand Vice Principal Watchog's explanation, but thinks he got the gist of it.

"So, what does this Emera look like anyway?" Espurr asked.

"Unfortunately, I'm not able to show you."

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" The entire class yelled in shock.

"Why not?!" Ian asked.

"Well you see, Emera's get destroyed as soon as you leave a dungeon, I don't know why either." He explained.

"Oh, I see..." Ian said.

"But, being your amazing Vice Principal, I can show you how an Emera placed in the Looplet looks like!"

"Really?!" Patience exclaimed. "How?!"

"With the power of my psychic abilities! I shall produce an image of it right into your very minds!"

Suddenly a cloud of smoke appeared, causing everyone to be confused. A few seconds later, the image of an Emera being fitted into the Looplet appeared before their very eyes.

"Wow! I can actually see it!" Pancham exclaimed.

"Yeah Vice Principal! I didn't know you had such amazing psychic powers!" Shelmet said.

It does look impressive. Ian thought to himself. But..., isn't it a-.

"Isn't it just a drawing?" Patience said. To the surprise of Watchog, who had rolled in the drawing as soon as he activated the smoke ball he had behind his back.

"Really?!" Pancham exclaimed. "Couldn't you have just went along with the entire thing?"

"Yeah! Have some pity for the Vice Principal!" Shelmet exclaimed.

"To be fair, his "psychic" attempt was almost believable, key word being almost." Ian said.

"Yeah, that smoke effect was pretty good." Deerling said. "I give him tha-"

"ENOUGH!" Watchog screamed. "If I hear another remark from anyone of you, you'll all be getting detention! Now go to Glittering Mountain and GET THOSE FLAGS!"

"Yes Sir!" The class shouted and immediately running ahead into the path behind Watchog towards Glittering Mountain.

"Best not repeat history..." Ian said to himself.

* * *

A/N: Hey there everyone! Ikcatcher here! I hope you're all enjoying this story. So far the story is well received with many of you giving it a positive review, I would like to thank everyone one of you for reviewing it. Your words push me forward to write more chapters.

Now, onto business. As you may have noticed, this story contains original chapters that were not present in the game. Which keeps the story fresh and original. But there's a problem, I'm short on ideas, short on original characters and chapter ideas.

So that's why I've come to request two things from you today.

First request: Suggest an OC (Original Character) you want to see appear in this story. It has to be a non-legendary Pokemon, and you must also provide it with a backstory.

Second request: Suggest a story arc idea. Let your imagination run wild! I'm eager to hear what you all have to suggest for an original story that could keep the story interesting.

The most interesting OC and story arc would be picked and written into the story. Are you up for it?

I think I've talked long enough, be sure to leave your ideas below! With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off.


	12. Words That Kill

"There it is! The flags!" Deerling exclaimed.

It was a sight for sore eyes, they had finally reached the end of the dungeon and found the flags. There were two flags. Ian sighed in relief, once again his team have come out on top again. With the help of the Looplets and Emeras of course, providing the team all kinds of beneficial boosts.

"Looks like Patience's team hasn't reached here yet." Ian said.

"Alright!" Deerling cheered. "Score one for the girls!"

"Ahem..." Ian coughed.

"Oh, and boy as well." She corrected.

Deerling picked up the flag and the three started making their way back to school. And after awhile, finally arrived back at the school field. Patience's team arriving shortly after.

"Excellent work! Team Almighty Glorious- ah forget it, I can't keep track of these long team names I come up with."

Ian, Deerling and Espurr looked at each other and smiled for a job well done.

"Now, for the other team..." Watchog said, looking at Patience and Pancham, who were in the midst of an argument, with Goomy in the middle of them.

"Why am I to be blamed for all this?!" Patience yelled.

"Because YOU keep going on ahead and dragging us into dangerous places!" Pancham yelled back.

"Says you! You used up all of our items!"

"Because you were a terrible teammate!"

"Oh, it's on!" Patience said, head butting Pancham shortly after. Causing the panda Pokemon to lose his balance and fall.

"Why you...!"

Pancham got up and rammed into Patience, locking the two into a stance, both trying to push each other down.

Goomy simply sighed at this, as did Vice Principal Watchog, who shook his head in disappointment.

"Teamwork is clearly important when exploring dungeons, unlike those two troublemakers..." He said. "I can assure you that they will be given extra assignments, and also serving some time in detention, to think about what they've done. And with that, class is dismissed!"

* * *

When the last bell finally rang, everyone got up from their seats and started heading back home. Except for Patience and Pancham, who were almost at each other's throats.

Audino, who was at the school gates, was wishing the students goodbye.

"Bye Miss Audnio." Espurr said.

"Have a nice day Espurr!" Audino wished.

"See ya later, doc." Ian said.

"Yes, you take care of yourself Ian!"

As Ian started walking back, he couldn't help but notice Patience behavior, she had been acting more aggressive and cold. Something that he never expected from her. Was it because of what he had said the previous day that is the cause of this? Did she want to prove herself competent by being more serious?

"Ian!"

The mudfish Pokemon turned around to see Deerling and Goomy running up to him.

"Walking alone again huh?" Deerling asked.

"Well, yeah, Patience did get detention." Ian replied.

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about." The deer Pokemon said. "Patience has been acting unusual today. Like she isn't herself."

"Did it have something to do with yesterday?" Goomy asked.

Ian sighed, there was no point keeping it a secret to them now.

"Walk with me." He said.

Deerling and Goomy looked at each other in confusion, but reluctantly agreed to do so.

"Let me ask you something." Ian said. "What do you think of Patience?"

"What do we think of her?" Deerling repeated. "Well, it's not like I hate her or anything... but, sometimes she can really takes things a little too far."

"Patience is not a bad person by all means." Goomy said. "It's just that sometimes her "adventures" that we are dragged into can be pretty bothersome."

"Is that so, huh?" Ian said.

"What's this all about?" Deerling asked.

"Me and Patience... had an argument yesterday."

"An argument?!" Deerling and Goomy exclaimed.

"Wh-why?! What happened?!" Deerling asked.

"It was about yesterday, we were both blaming each other for leaving Goomy behind. She provoked me, and I... said a few things I shouldn't have and made her cry..."

Deerling and Goomy simply stood there, processing what he had just said. The quiet and cautious Ian, making the cheerful and energetic Patience cry.

"Wh-what did you even say to her...?" Goomy asked nervously.

Ian didn't know how to phrase it, he didn't want to admit that he had called Patience pathetic and incompetent.

"Words that kill." Was all he said.

Goomy and Deerling didn't understand what that meant, but decided not to pursue further

The three arrived at the village plaza, where it was as busy as ever, with Pokemon talking, laughing, and just doing their day to day activities.

"Well..., I guess this where we go our separate ways now." Ian stated.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow Ian." Deerling said.

"Take care now." Goomy said.

"You too."

And just like that, Ian watched as Deerling and Goomy head home, now all alone at the plaza. He sighed, remembering about yesterday's events.

"What have I done..." He said to himself.

Just then, someone bumped into Ian from behind, nearly losing his balance.

"Hey! Watch where you're-" he stopped himself, realizing who it was. The orange fur and bushy tail.

Patience.

The fire fox Pokemon stared at him, an awkward tension filling the both of them.

"Patience..." Ian said, sadness filling his voice.

Patience said nothing and simply walked away from the mudfish Pokemon.

Ian wasn't sure, but he could have sworn he saw a single tear rolling down her face as she walked away.

An honest emotion of seeing him? Or a farce to hide her true emotions?

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! Ikcatcher here again. First off, thank you to all those that send in your suggestions for an OC and a story arc. They were all pretty interesting and I would consider them! But with that, I've come with you with another question.

Who remembers Explorers of Sky's special episodes? Well, I was thinking that I could try making a few special episodes regarding certain characters of the story, wether actual characters or OC. Now, on to the question:

Which character do you want to see get a special episode? Leave your suggestions and who, and maybe what you want the special episode to focus on.

With that said, I'll leave you off with a teaser of the chapters to come in this story! This is Ikcatcher, signing off.

* * *

"My name is Ampharos! And I'm known far and wide as-!"

"The Dashing Wanderer!"

* * *

"My name is Flecthinder! And I'm a journalist of The Poké Daily in the Grass Continent!"

* * *

"News of Pokemon turning into stone have been reported all over the world."

"WHAAAAT?!" Ian and Patience exclaimed.

* * *

"There've been rumors going around that ghosts lurk around the school at night." Pancham said.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts." Ian said.

* * *

"Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it."


	13. Alliances

"Well, good morning Ian! Ain't it a fine day today?"

"Nu-Nuzleaf?!" Ian exclaimed.

Ian had woken up as usual for another day of school when he heard noises coming from the other room. To his surprise to find Nuzleaf, who had finally returned.

"How've you been? Did ya miss me?" Nuzleaf asked.

"Not really, I kinda have a lot of things on my mind lately, I forgot that you left." Ian replied, smiling nervously.

Nuzleaf was taken back by that brutally honest reply.

"Is that so huh...? Well... Alright then. Anyway, have you remembered anything about your past?"

"If snarky comments and making girls cry were from my human life, then yeah..." He mumbled.

"What did you say?"

"Oh! Um..., no, I still don't remember anything unfortunately."

"Well, that's a shame..." Nuzleaf said. "Anyway, I think you should head off to school right about now."

Ian nodded and got himself ready, after having breakfast he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.

"Hey, where did you get that bag from?" Nuzleaf asked.

"Kangaskhan gave it to me." Ian replied.

"Kangaskhan?" Nuzleaf said in surprise. "Well that's awfully nice of her. Well, you best get going now! Don't wanna be late for school and all!"

"Right, bye Nuzleaf!" He said, waving his hand to Nuzleaf as he headed out of the house, ready for another day at school.

* * *

"Hey! I just realised something!" Pancham exclaimed.

The rest of the class turned to face the panda Pokemon to hear what he had to say.

"Where did Ian come from anyway?"

The class thought about it, and noticed that nobody actually knew.

"Yeah, that is a good question!" Shelmet said.

"I'm rather curious myself..." Deerling said. "I doubt that you're actually Mr Nuzleaf's kid..."

"Huh, I actually never asked." Patience said, to Ian's surprise. Does she honestly really care about it? Or is she just saying it for the hell of it. Not wanting to seem so isolated from the rest of the class.

"Wait, don't tell me..." Pancham said. "Don't tell me you're from Lively Town?!"

The whole class reacted in surprise at that possibility. A child that came from the town to the east? That seemed too farfetched to be true.

"Wow, Lively Town! We got us a city folk here! So sophisticated!" Shelmet mockingly said.

"Wa-wait! I never said anything like that!" Ian defended. To be honest, he didn't know HOW was he going to tell the rest of the class where he actually came from. It was something none of them might not even believe.

"Then WHERE did you come from then Ian? Another continent? Hah! Don't be ridiculous!"

No point lying. Ian thought, it's not like he has any other choice.

"Well... You see... I come from a place where none of you are most likely expecting." He vaguely said.

"Well...?! Don't just stop there! Tell us!" Pancham demanded.

"I'm from... the human world."

The whole class stood silent, processing what Ian had just said.

"S-say that again one more time...?!" Patience asked.

"I'm from the human world." Ian said again.

"Wh-WHAAAAAATTTTT?!" The class yelled.

"Y-you...?! A human?!" Shelmet exclaimed.

"B-but you're clearly a Pokemon right now! Mudkip and everything!" Deerling exclaimed.

"I do find it hard to believe..." Espurr said.

Yeah..., that probably didn't went well. Ian thought. Then again, it wasn't surprising everyone finds it hard to believe his story.

"Heh heh, AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Pancham started laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Ian asked.

"Oh, it's nothing... It's just that I haven't heard a very bad lie in a long time!"

"Wh-what...?!"

"I mean seriously! Who would believe such nonsense! We all know humans only exist in myths and children's stories!"

Ian gulped nervously, when he put it that way, there was no way he could prove that he really was a human.

"But what would Ian gain by telling such a lie?" Espurr stated. "It just seems illogical."

Thank you, Espurr! Ian thought, at least someone can sort of understand.

"Does it matter? Ian is nothing more than big fat liar!" Pancham said.

"Ring-ding ring-ding ring-ding"

It was the class bell. And immediately after that, Farfetche'd walked into the class.

"Alright everyone, class is about to begin!" He announced.

"Me Farfetche'd!" Pancham yelled. "Ian is telling lies!"

"Wait what?! But I didn't-"

"Huh...? Lies...?" Farfetche'd asked confusingly, not fully understanding the situation.

"B-but I was-!"

"And what if he wasn't lying?"

The class all turned right and saw Simipour, who had heard the entire thing.

"How can any of us really tell if Ian is really lying or not?" He continued.

"But Principal Simipour!" Pancham protested. "You know there's no such thing as humans! They're nothing more than fairy tales!"

"Can YOU prove that he wasn't a human? Any evidence to back your claim?"

Pancham had nothing to say, and decided to remain silent.

"We live in a big world, where anything can happen. Maybe Ian was a human, maybe he wasn't, who's for us to say? But if we take the effort to look at things from another angle, we might see things differently then we were before."

The class remained silent, honestly thinking Principal Simipour wasn't even talking about the same thing. But they were in no room to object.

"Change your reality, and the perspective changes!" He concluded. "Mr Farfetche'd, I'll leave the class to you!"

"Oh! Um... Yes, sir!" He said. "Alright children, let's start another wonderful day of learning!"

"Yes, sir!" The class exclaimed.

Ian breathed a sigh of relief, that honestly could have gone a lot worse than expected.

* * *

"Alright students! Class is about to begin!" Vice Principal Watchog announced.

The class all gathered around the field to begin another lesson of Basic Dungeon Skills.

"Today, we got a few special guests for today's lesson. I would like to introduce you our local sheriffs Officer Magnezone, Magneton and Magnemite!"

Sheriffs huh? So they must be the law enforcement around here. Ian thought.

"Wow! Real sheriffs!" Goomy exclaimed.

"I've never seen a real sheriff before!" Shelmet said.

"BZZT HELLO STUDENTS! WE ARE PLEASED TO BE HERE TODAY!" Magnezone said.

"Today, you'll be learning how to use Alliances." Watchog

The class looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what he meant.

"Alliances?" Ian asked.

"Correct, in dungeons, you're bound to face enemies that are just too powerful for one person. But with the help of an Alliance, you can be able to take down a powerful foe in no time!"

Ian sort of get what he was saying, the rest of the class were still clueless however.

"Allow our sheriffs to demonstrate." Watchog said.

"ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THIS?" Magnezone asked. "THIS WOULD PROBABLY NOT END WELL FOR YOU."

"You're speaking with a professional here!" Watchog exclaimed.

"VERY WELL THEN." Magnezone said. "COMMENCING AN ALLIANCE."

The three sheriffs suddenly glowed brightly. And shortly afterwards the light extinguished and suddenly multiple burst of electricity came raining down on Watchog. Causing him to fall to the ground.

"Vice Principal!" The class exclaimed.

Watchog got up, coughing and wheezing from the attack.

"I'm- I'm fine!" He reassured. "What matters is that you took notice how they were able to coordinate so well without even uttering a single word. Now! Time for three of you to try it out yourself! Ian, Patience and Espurr!"

Ian, Patience and Espurr stepped forward. Ian looking over at the fire fox Pokemon, but she didn't return the look.

"The three of you will surround me!" Watchog ordered. As the three formed a triangle formation around Watchog.

"Now, I want you to say out loud the move you'll be using to perform the Alliance!" He ordered.

Ian went first.

"Wa-water Gun!"

"Ember." Patience said

"Confusion." Espurr said.

Suddenly a burst of light emerged from all three of them.

"Woah! What the heck?!" Ian exclaimed.

"Relax, it's part of the Alliance." Watchog explained. Which still made Ian uncomfortable. "Now, why not do the honours?"

"Honours sir?" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"You'll be the one to tell everyone when to attack." Watchog said.

Ian nodded and saw Patience and Espurr, who were readying themselves.

"All right! We'll attack on the count to three!" He yelled. "1, 2, 3!"

The burst of light dispersed and Ian released a surge of water from his mouth, hoping it hits. He saw Patience's Ember and Espurr's Confusion hitting Watchog, and his Water Gun finishing it off. Watchog nearly lost his balance, but was able to stay on his feet.

"Good... job...!" He said, feeling dizzy.

"Are you alright Vice Principal Watchog?" Espurr asked.

"Ye-yes, I'll be fine. You're talking to your illustrious Vice... Principal..."

Watchog collapsed to the ground due to his injuries. To the surprise of the class sheriffs.

"V-Vice Principal!" The class yelled

* * *

School was dismissed early today.

Vice Principal Watchog's injuries were too severe, and had to be treated by Audino. Who said he had to stay at home for a day or two to rest. While everyone else to be honest didn't feel bad about Watchog's absence for a few days, Ian was actually surprise by how even mere water was so strong when used properly.

"Who knows, I could shooting ice out of my ass one day." He said to himself.

As he reached the village plaza, he noticed a couple of Pokemon gathering around at the village entrance. He decided to see what was going on. Carracosta, Lombre, Hippopotas were discussing about something.

"So? Did you see it?" Carracosta asked.

"Yeah, I saw it, looks like it has finally begun." Lombre replied.

Confused, Ian decided to enter the conversation and ask.

"Um... What are you guys talking about?"

The three turned to face Ian.

"Oh, why if isn't Ian." Carracosta said. "Honey season has begun over at Nectar Meadow."

"Honey season?" He asked.

"Many Combees and Beedrills gather at Nectar Meadow to make honey. It's the best honey you'll ever taste!" Lombre explained.

"Vat I would do just to get myself some honey! Hippopotas said. "Ze mere thought of it makes me want to jump!"

You? Jumping? Ian thought.

"Um, can I get some honey now?"

Everyone turned around to see a small green Pokemon standing before them.

"Budew, Roselia's little one." Carracosta said. "No, you can't have some yet. For the Combees and Beedrills are still making them at Nectar Meadow."

"Why do you even want to get some anyway?" Lombre asked.

"My mother..." Budew said. "She's been pretty sick lately, always feeling tired and dizzy."

"I see... Well rest assured I'll make sure you can get some honey for her when the honey season is over."

Budew nodded and decided to go back home. As did the other Pokemon, who had other things to do. Ian walked up to Carracosta.

"Hey, uh, Carracosta?" Ian said.

"Hmm? What is it Ian?" He asked.

"There's something I need to ask." He said.

"Something about Patience."

* * *

A/N: Boy, do I sure to leave you on a cliffhanger huh?

Anyway, the OC, story arcs and Special episodes suggestions are still open. If you have a really good idea for an original character or a Special Episode for an already existing character, leave your suggestions.

I'll leave you today with yet another question. (Oh joy)

What do you think about Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon? Do you like it? Hate it? The best one in the series or the worst? Leave your thoughts! If you want my opinion, I think it's the best one in the series, polished gameplay, good story and so many plot twists it'll give M Night Shamalayn a run for his money.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher signing off!


	14. You Better Beelieve It!

Scizor sat back down on his chair at his desk. His world spinning, his head hurt as if he was frozen in ice again on Blizzard Island.

"Team Orion, has been turned to stone...?!" He repeated to Staraptor, the Exploration Team Federation's messenger.

"Yes sir. It's just been confir-"

Scizor punched his metal claws into the wall of his office in frustration, leaving a huge dent.

"Dammit...! I should have told them the truth!"

Scizor, a high ranking Explorer working for the ETF had been assigned under Team Orion as their handler. Providing them information related to the mission. This time however, he had been given a cut-out from one of the higher-ups. A dangerous Pokemon was terrorising multiple places across the world with an "unnatural ability". Eyewitness account had said that the culprit had the power to "turn Pokemon into stone". The cut-out gave him a very specific order not to tell Team Orion about how dangerous the threat was. After what had happened today, he should have disobeyed that order.

"Where are they now?" Scizor asked.

"They're being transported back here as we speak sir, command had ordered for them to be airlifted back here for investigation."

"Bloody pencil-necks...!" Scizor mumbled. "Sending my team as sacrifice so they could get a better understanding of the enemy!" "Staraptor."

"Sir?"p

"I want you to fly to the Air and Mist continents, inform HAPPI and the Rescue Team Federation."

"The message, sir?" He asked.

"Tell them we might have a crisis on our hands."

* * *

"Alright class! It's time to begin Health class!" Audino said.

The class groaned at the announcement. If people thought Vice Principal Watchog's lessons were boring. They haven't seen Miss Audino's Health class. The only one interested was Ian, who, as a human, doesn't really know much about physiology of Pokemon.

"Today we're going to be talking about evolution!" She said.

"Evolution?" Ian asked.

"Yes, evolution. Now, can anybody tell me what evolution means?"

Patience raised her hand.

"Patience?"

"It's when you go through a major change and you grow bigger right?"

"You're mostly correct." She said. "Evolution is a process where your body undergoes major changes, both psychically and mentally. It's also how we classify age among Pokemon."

"Interesting..." Ian mumbled.

"Now, to move on to our next topic for today, EV's and I-"

"Um excuse me?"

Everyone turned their head to the voice and saw green Pokemon with flowers as hands slowly limping her way towards the class.

"Oh, why hello Mrs Roselia!" Audino greeted. "What can we do for you today?"

"Budew... Has anyone seen Budew...?!" She said.

"Budew? Why, no, haven't. Has something happened?"

"Bu-Budew is missing! I can't find her anywhere!"

"WHAAAAAAAT?!" The class yelled.

Wait a minute, Budew... Ian thought. Wasn't she the one from yesterday?

"If Budew is no where to be found, then... then..."

Roselia fell to the ground, to the shock of the class and Audino.

"Mrs Roselia!" Audino exclaimed.

"I'm... alright..." Roselia said. "It's just that I've been feeling really tired lately."

"Don't you pull that excuse on me." Audino said. "I'm a doctor you know."

Audino helped Roselia to her feet and took her to the Nurse's Office. Leaving the students by themselves.

"Where could Budew have gone?" Patience said.

"I don't know, but I hope she's alright..." Deerling said.

Budew went missing? Now where could a kid like her have gone? Ian thought. Come on Ian, think!

It was at that very second he realised where she could have went. That's it!

"I... I think I know where Budew could have gone!" Ian said. To the surprise of the rest of the class.

"Well don't just stand there Ian! Tell us!" Deerling yelled.

"I think she went to Nectar Meadow!" He said.

"Nectar Meadow?!" Goomy exclaimed.

"She wanted to get some honey for her mother because she had been sick as of late!"

"B-but.. Honey season is still ongoing." Espurr stated.

"If the honey season is still going on, then that means..." Ian stayed silent for a few seconds before realising the danger. "We need to inform someone about this! NOW!

Pancham laughed. To the shock of Ian.

"Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you."

"Huh...?!"

"You think anyone would want to believe your lies after yesterday Ian? Don't bother trying!"

"So... It was just a lie...?" Shelmet asked confusingly.

"Why would I lie at a time like this?!" Ian defended.

"Attention of course! You're just trying to gain attention by making up lies out of thin air!"

Pancham you son of a-! Ian cursed to himself. If no one was going to believe him. He only had one other option.

"If no one is going to believe me, then I'll just have to do it myself."

Ian got up from his desk and started running for the school gates. The whole class in shock at the mudfish Pokemon reckless action.

"Hey! You're skipping school!" Pancham yelled.

Ian ignored that fact. He didn't care that this was going to land him into a lot of trouble.

There was a child that needs to be saved!

* * *

Ian stopped in his tracks when he reached the plaza. Catching his breath. He scanned the plaza, making sure no one sees him. Especially Nuzleaf.

"Ian!" A voice called out from behind.

That voice...!

He turned around to see who he think it was and was right.

Patience.

"P-Patience...?!" Ian exclaimed.

"I'm skipping school as well! We got to save Budew!"

"Wait... You.. believe me...?!" Ian asked.

When Patience nodded, Ian felt as if a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders that has been weighing him down for the past few days.

"Listen..." Ian said. "About what I said-"

"Save it." Patience replied. "We can talk about it later, right now we have more pressing issues!"

Ian agreed and the two headed off towards the village entrance.

Off to Nectar Meadow.

* * *

A/N: "Two chapters in a week? That's highly unusual." Why yes, yes it is. To be honest, I feel like I've been dragging my story a bit too long already, and in terms of story development I feel like it's been going really slow. So I want to get the fillers out as soon as possible so we can get to the good parts.

And in case you're asking, the chapter title took me only 30 seconds to come up.


	15. Back Together

It was already sundown by the time they got back.

After asking around, Ian and Patience found out that Roselia had last been seen at the hill with the big tree.

Everything that happened over the past few hours had been quite the doozy. After traversing through Nectar Meadow, which gave Ian quite a hassle with the amount of grass type Pokemon that reside there. Ian and Patience found Budew, which proves Ian's assumptions right. However, she was cornered by a few agitated Beedrills and Combees that had accused Budew of being a honey thief. Ian attempted to talk them down, but only then had he realised he was never really good at negotiating. Ian and Patience managed to defeat them. Well, it was mostly Patience taking care of things because being a fire type gave her the upper hand. Suddenly, a large yellow like creature stopped the fight. Her name was Vespiquen and she was the "queen" of all the Pokemon making honey in Nectar Meadow. Budew explained her situation to Vespiquen and she decided to give her a jar of honey for free. And now they were here, heading back to Roselia to be reunited with her daughter again.

"I think I see her up there!" Patience exclaimed as they walked up the hill. Below the big tree, stood Roselia, who was just looking onwards at the view of the village.

"Excuse me, Mrs Roselia?" Ian called.

"What is i- Budew...!" She exclaimed, as Budew ran up to her mother and hugged her. "Where have you been?! Mommy has been so worried about you!"

"I'm sorry... I went to Nectar Meadow to get you some honey, I noticed that you haven't been feeling so well lately..." Budew explained.

"Budew..." She said, as she started shedding tears.

"And it was thanks to Ian and Patience that I was able to get some for you!"

Roselia let go of Budew and only then noticed the Pokemon that were in front of her.

"Thank you...! I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for me!" Roselia said.

"We're glad to help." Ian said. "Although running off in the middle of class wasn't exactly the best idea..."

"Rest assured, I'll be sure to tell Principal Simipour about your deeds tomorrow, I'm sure he'll understand!" Roselia said.

"Some money would have been- argh!" Patience elbowed Ian to not press that any further.

"It's getting late, we should head back now. Again, thank you for helping my Budew!"

"Thank you, Ian and Patience!" Budew said. As the two left for home. As the two finally disappeared from sight, Patience broke the silence.

"All's well that ends well huh?" Patience remarked.

"Yup." Ian replied.

The two turned to face each other and entered an awkward silence, realising the cold relationship they have been giving each other for the past few days. They both didn't know what to say, until they decided to say the first thing that came to their minds.

"I'm sorry for what I've said to you." The two said at the same time, surprising the both of them.

"Y-you first..." Ian said.

Patience coughed nervously, trying to find the right words to say.

"I'm... sorry I said all those things about you being a coward, it was really immature of me to say such a thing."

"Apology accepted. And... I'm sorry I called you pathetic and insulting your dreams, even after I said I would support your dreams."

"That's alright, I know you didn't mean it, and it was because I pushed you too hard." Patience said. "You know Ian? I believe you, I believe that you really are a human." Patience said.

"Wh-what...?! But why...?!" Ian asked surprisingly.

"It didn't come to me at first, but the more I thought about, the more it started to make sense." She explained. "You didn't know how to use your moves, you were always so cautious because you're in a completely unknown world. It all made sense now..."

"Patience..." Ian chocked up, feeing a sense of gladness somebody actually understood.

"And besides, nobody really believes in me as well..." She softly said. "And everyone just distances themselves from me because I'm nothing more than the "troublemaker" in their eyes..." She said, as she looked up at the night sky, that was glittering with countless stars.

Ian kept quiet. Pitying the fire fox Pokemon. Now that he thought about it, he noticed that Patience has never really been that open with anyone else in the village.

"But then you came along, and I thought to myself "I'm going to be at my best and give a good impression to that Mudkip and maybe, just maybe, he would be friends with me. Someone that wouldn't mind all the flaws in me."

Patience turned around, and faced Ian, her face filled with determination.

"So, Ian! Would you be my friend?" She asked nervously.

Ian was taken back by that question, he wasn't expecting such a question. And why did it sound like an order?!

"Please...! After all we been through... I feel like you're the perfect friend!" She pleaded. "But the only question now is: Would you accept it...?"

She bowed her head and closed her eyes, which made Ian feel even more guilty. But after some thinking, he made his decision. He smiled, walked up to Patience and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"After everything that has happened between us, I would gladly accept your offer, friend!" He said, putting up a cheeky smile.

Patience couldn't believe what she was hearing, and suddenly jumped in delight. Hugging the mudfish Pokemon tightly.

"Thank you so much Ian!" She exclaimed. "I promise I won't be a burden to you anymore!"

"You can start by not suffocating me...!" Ian said.

Patience let go of Ian, giggling sheepishly at her new friend.

"Oooooh! I got just the thing to mark this occasion!" She said. "Close your eyes Ian!"

"Uh... Why...?" He asked.

"Just do it, it's a surprise!"

Ian sighed and did what she said and closed his eyes. Not knowing what she was thinking. Then suddenly, he felt something being wrapped and tied around his neck.

"Annnnnnd, done!" She said. "You can open your eyes now!"

Ian opened his eyes and saw Patience wearing a dark green scarf around her neck. Upon looking down, he noticed he was also wearing an identical scarf.

"Ta-dah!" She exclaimed. "Pretty nifty huh?"

"Where did you even get this...?!" Ian asked. Still inspecting the scarf.

"My pops said he found me all wrapped up in these scarfs when I was just a baby."

"Wait... you're...?!"

"Yeah, pops isn't my real dad, I'm surprised you didn't noticed." She said.

"So, why were you wrapped with this?" Ian asked.

"Who knows? But that doesn't matter now, these scarfs from now on show the prove of our friendship!"

Ian liked the sound of that, which reminds him of something he needed to do.

"I... have something for you too, Patience." He said nervously.

"Aw, you shouldn't have." Patience teased.

"It's just my way of making up to you." Ian said. "Now, close your eyes."

Patience did as told and closed her eyes, her face filled with excitement at what the surprise was. Ian reached into his bag and took the thing out, he was glad he had asked Carracosta about where to find these. He slowly placed it around the fire fox's neck, making doubly sure she doesn't notice what it is.

"Alright, you can open your eyes now." He said.

Patience opened her eyes and looked down, and couldn't believe her eyes. Ian had given Patience a sort of premonition to wear, tied to it was a single twig.

"A twig...?! But... How did you-!"

"I asked Carracosta what you liked, and he said that you really like chewing on twigs, must be a Fennekin thing, and so I decided to go and find one yesterday, searching the outskirts of the village for the perfect twig, not to be eaten, but act as a sort of "lucky charm." Ian explained.

Patience was speechless, unable to find the words she wanted to say.

"Th-thank you... Ian..." She managed to say. Ian could have sworn he saw Patience face turned red, but decided not to bring it up.

"Well, it looks like it's getting pretty late!" Ian said.

"Yeah, we better get back home before our "dads" get mad at us." Patience remarked.

"Hah! Yeah I hear ya."

Patience tucked the twig underneath her scarf and walked with Ian back home. When they finally reached their respective homes, they each waved goodbye to turn in for the night.

"Good night, Ian!" Patience said.

"See you tomorrow, Patience." Ian said.

Ian saw the fire fox Pokemon enter her house, and shortly after closed the door behind her.

"It's good to finally talk to you again... Patience..."

* * *

A/N: All's well that ends well indeed, Ian and Patience have finally reconciled and thus bringing this arc to a close. As of writing this, there is only a day left before Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon releases to European fans. To all those who live in Europe and is reading this right now, I recommend that you stop reading this fanfic, get the game, beat the game, and then come back, don't worry I'll still be here. You'll get to see the major changes I made to this story compared to the games.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	16. The Dashing Wanderer

"So that's Serene Village huh?"

A lone, tall yellow figure stood below the hill with the giant tree, looking onwards at the small village below.

"And in record time too! Only took me 2 days!" He said as he looked at a yellow circular badge that he was holding, and placed it in his bag.

"Best not attract too much attention, my badge would definitely be a dead give away to who I really am."

* * *

Entry #1

So Nuzleaf got me this notebook. Said he got it when he was returning from his trip, didn't say where though. Said I could "write down my thoughts" or something along that line. I noticed a few pages torn from the notebook, but I figure it was nothing.

I guess I could write about what has happened for the past few days. I still have no recollection of my memories though. But hey, life here so far hasn't been that bad. Unless you count being transformed into a mudfish Pokemon and have to walk on all fours, but I digress.

I finally was able to reconcile with Patience, after days of distancing ourselves, we finally made up and exchange "gifts".

Speaking of Patience, I guess I could talk about her. She was not that annoying Fennekin that would always get in my way like I imagined that's for sure. She's the closest friend I have in this world right now. I'm surprised she believed my "being a human" reason, but she did bring up some clever observations. Although her childishness sometimes bug me, I do find it... cute at times.

Ian looked out his window and noticed that sun was already up, and it was about time he got ready for another day of school.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

He ended, and closed the notebook and placed it and his pencil next to his bed. He got up and headed into the next room.

"Mornin Ian!" Nuzleaf greeted. "Another fine day huh?"

"Sure is." Ian replied.

"Might I ask something I was meaning to ask last night." He said. "Where did you get that fancy scarf you're wearing?"

Ian looked down at his scarf and decided to tell him.

"Patience gave it to me, we both are wearing it as a proof of our friendship." He explained.

"Is that so? Well I think that's awfully nice of her, and cute." Nuzleaf said. "Looking at that scarf makes me want to go out and get one for myself!"

"Haha!" Ian laughed. "I'm sure you'll manage."

Ian had his breakfast and after that waved goodbye to Nuzleaf, leaving the house. As he got out, he cool feel a cool breeze of air hit his face, he felt optimistic for the day. The sun was shining, the birds were-

"Goooooooood morningggggg Ian!"

Before the mudfish Pokemon could even react, something landed on his back, causing him to fall face first onto the ground.

It was Patience, who had showed her "affection" to her new best friend by jumping onto Ian.

"Hehehe! Ready for school bestie?" She excitingly said.

Ian tried getting up, but the weight of the fire fox Pokemon was crushing him.

"Be-bestie? Are we really going down that road already...?" He managed to say.

Patience got off Ian, as the mudfish Pokemon got up and faced her. Her cheerful smile and amber eyes, he couldn't get mad at a face like that.

"Of course silly! What do you think the scarf and twig necklace is suppose to represent?" She said.

"Touché."

"Let's get going! Off to school!" Patience exclaimed, happily skipping off.

"Good old Patience." Ian said to himself and chased after fire fox Pokemon as the two head into the village plaza. As they were walking towards the path that leads to the school, they heard a commotion from behind them.

"Ouch! Watch where you're going!" A voice said.

"A-apologies!" Another voice said.

Ian and Patience turned around, and saw a tall yellow Pokemon, black stripes covering his tail, neck and ears. And a red circular object sticking out of his forehead, dizzily bumping into everyone and everything. Patience ran up to the Pokemon to see what was wrong.

"A-are you alright?!" She asked.

"Ye-yes, I'll be fine." The Pokemon said. "It's just that I'm really bad with directions every time I'm in a new place..!"

The Pokemon recovered quickly and looked at the two Pokemon that were in front of him.

"And who might you two lovely kids be?" He asked.

"I'm Patience, and this is my friend Ian." Patience introduced.

"Hello there." Ian greeted.

"I see, well nice to meet you, Ian and Patience!" He exclaimed. "But oh my, I haven't even introduce myself. My name is Ampharos, and I'm known far and wide as-!"

He posed flamboyantly, to the surprise of Ian and Patience.

"The Dashing Wanderer!" He said.

Ian and Patience looked at each other in awkwardness, not knowing how to respond to this. He seemed more like The Dashing Model, Ian thought.

"I-I see..." Patience awkwardly replied. "So why have you come here?" She asked.

"Oh, me? Well I came to Serene Village for I have heard many good things about it!" Ampharos said.

"Where are you even from?" Ian asked.

Ampharos pondered for a bit, not knowing how to reply.

"That, my friend, is classified!" He decided to say, albeit it wasn't a really good answer.

"That so huh? That's too bad..."

"Anyway, I think I should be heading off now, tally-ho!" He said, switching back to his dizzying self and clumsily walking towards the village gates.

"What an odd fellow..." Ian said.

"Agreed." Patience said. Just then, at the corner of her eyes, she noticed something blue laying on the ground.

"Hmm? What's that?" Patience said.

Ian turned to where Patience was pointing to and saw a blue ball-like object laying on the ground. He approached it and picked up the item. It was a crystal clear blue ball, and had several white engravings on it. Ian could see his own reflection through it.

"Want me to see into your future?" Ian joked.

"Very funny..." Patience said. "Do you think it belongs to that Ampharos guy?"

"Most likely." Ian said. "We can give it back to him later, right now we got to head to school."

"You're right." Patience agreed.

Ian placed the crystal blue ball into his bag. They both then continued making their way to school.

"Wait... I just realized something." Patience stopped and said.

"What is it?" Ian asked.

"We skipped school yesterday." She stated. "I know we did it in order to save Budew, but still... I don't think Vice Principal Watchog is going to be happy to see us."

Ian, suddenly realizing this, cursed under his breath.

"Well then..." He said. "Guess we got no other choice but to face the music."

"Wait! I got an idea!" Patience exclaimed.

"Idea?" Ian asked.

"How about we just skip school again! That way we don't have to face any sort of punishment!"

Ian stayed quiet, looking at Patience with a "You're joking, right?" look on his face.

"That... has got to be the stupidest plan I've ever heard." Ian replied.

"Yeah... I didn't thought that one through huh?" She said. "You're right, we should just face the music..."

Ian nodded in agreement and the two continued on walking towards the school. When they arrived, they saw Vice Principal Watchog at the entrance, awaiting their arrival.

"Good morning Vice Principal Watchog." They both said nervously.

Watchog looked at them in the face, although he had a blank expression on his face, he was most likely very angry with their actions yesterday. His twitching red eyes speak for themselves.

"The principal would like to see you two..." He calmly said.

Ian and Patience, both confused as to what was going on, decided to obey that order and headed up to the principal's office.

* * *

When Ian and Patience walked by the class, everyone stared at the two in silence, unsure whether it's shock or respect, they didn't really know. As they entered Principal Simipour's office, they were surprised to see Roselia there as well.

"I'm sure you know why you are here today." Simipour said.

"Yes... We skipped school." Ian said "But we did it because-!"

"I know, Mrs Roselia told me about what happened. It is true that you skipped school, for that you need to be punished."

Ian and Patience both frowned at the mention of that.

"However, given the circumstances, you two realized the imminent danger and acted on your own free will. For that I commend you. Because of your actions, I'll pardon the both of you for breaking the rules."

Patience eyes lit up when she heard that, and so did Ian. The two looked at each other in joy and exchange a high-five.

"Thank you so much Principal Simipour!" Ian said.

"No." He said. "Thank you, for your ability to decide for yourself, to make your own decisions and be responsible for them., I'm proud of you two." Simipour smiled.

"Thank you, again. For all that you've done." Roselia said.

"Always willing to lend a helping hand!" Patience exclaimed.

Simipour stood up from his chair and walked towards Ian and Patience. Placing his hands on the two.

"Now, shouldn't you two be getting to class? I'm sue Mr Farfetche'd has another exciting lesson for the class!"

"Yes, sir!" Ian and Patience said. As they excused themselves and left the office.

"You really do teach kids into great Pokemon, Principal Simipour." Roselia praised.

"That's what I love doing Mrs Roselia, that's what I love." He proudly said.

* * *

"On behalf of all of us in class. We would like to apologize." Deerling announced.

"It's alright guys, really." Ian said.

"We shouldn't have doubted you. Not even for a second!" Goomy said. Feeling bad for doubting the Pokemon who had save him once.

"Fine, I'll admit, you did good this time." Pancham said. Facing away from Ian and Patience in embarrassment.

"How nice of you, Pancham." Patience said.

"B-but that doesn't mean you're not annoying. You still are." He reassured.

Patience shrugged. "If you say so." She said.

Ian smiled at this scene. He felt as if they are starting to not only believe him, but also respect him for his actions.

"If all of you are done talking! We got a class to start!" Farfetch'd interrupted.

The students, only now noticing Mr Farfetch'd quickly got back to their seats.

"Now, with that settled, let's begin another fun day of learning!"

"Yes, sir!" The class exclaimed.

* * *

When class ended for the day, Patience and Ian quickly left the school grounds and headed for the plaza.

"So where do you think Ampharos could have gone?" Patience asked.

"I honestly do now know." Ian said, holding the crystal blue ball in his hand.

As the two arrived at the village plaza, Patience came up with an idea.

"How about we ask Kecleon about the item?" She suggested.

"Kecleon? How's he going to help?" Ian wondered.

Patience snatched the crystal ball from Ian's hands, to his surprise and began examining it.

"I think I remember seeing a couple of these being sold a Kecleon's shop. So I think he would know what this is."

"Huh, that's a good idea. Let's get to it then."

By sheer coincidence, they were right next to Kecleon's shop, and three steps later they were in front of the shop counter.

"Welcome! What will you be buying today?" Kecleon happily greeted.

"Actually, no. We would like you to examine that we have here." Ian explained.

"Is that so? Well then, show me what this item is then."

As Patience was about to hand the crystal ball over to Kecleon, he immediately recognized it.

"Oh! That's a Connection Orb!" He exclaimed.

"A Connection... Orb?" Patience wondered.

"Yes, this is an orb that lets you see the connections that you have made with other Pokemon." Kecleon explained.

"See connections? That sounds pretty ridiculous." Ian commented.

"Ridiculous?! My child, this is a technological wonder! It's usually carried by shop owners like myself, and Expedition Society members!"

"Wait, what did you say?!" Patience said in surprise. "E-expedition Society members?!"

"That is correct, the Connection Orb was created by the Expedition Society after all." Kecleon said.

Patience gulped nervously, unsure as to how to react to that revelation.

"Well, that was unexpected..." Ian said.

"I believe this Connection Orb was from our visitor this morning, correct?" Kecleon asked.

"That's right, we were wondering if you knew where he went." The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"He mentioned something about heading off to Poliwrath River for some investigation. Let me show you."

Kecleon squatted down and was grabbing something from below the counter, he got back up with a rolled up paper in his hand, he opened it and it revealed to be a map of the world. With some red spots marked on the many continents.

"This is where we are now, Serene Village." Kecleon pointed to small red area on the west side of a place labeled "Water Continent". "And this is where Poliwrath River is." He pointed again, this time further east from Serene Village to a marked area labeled "Poliwrath River".

"I see, thanks for the info Kecleon!" Ian said.

"Here, take this map with you." Kecleon said, rolling up the map and heading it to Ian. "Consider it a "loyal service reward"." He said.

Ian nodded and took the map from the shopkeepers hand, thanking him once again.

"Come on Patience, let's-" Ian was interrupted with the fire fox Pokemon suddenly pushing him forward, quickly heading towards the village gates.

"Woa- hey! Stop pushing me!" Ian demanded, breaking free from Patience and facing her.

"You didn't have to push me you know." He said.

"Don't you know what this means Ian?!" Patience asked, half excited and nervous at the same time.

"Enlighten me."

"This Ampharos fellow could well be working for the Expedition Society!" She said.

"Oh right." Ian finally getting it. "You. Expedition Society dreams. I forgot."

"If we give this Connection Orb back to Ampharos, he might see us as candidates to become Expedition Society members!"

"Easy there, cowboy. You're really jumping the gun here."

"Cowboy...?" Patience asked.

"Never mind, what makes you think he's just going to let us join anyway? Besides, didn't you say kids weren't allowed?" Ian said.

"I know, I know! But hear me out, what if he lets us join the society and decides to turn a blind eye on that rule?"

"I don't know about that..." Ian said unsurely. "Let's just hand this Connection Orb back to Ampharos first and cross that bridge when we get to it alright?"

"Alright, alright..."

After Ian reorganized the items that were in his bag, the two made their way towards the village gates, when suddenly they bumped into Carracosta.

"Hey, pops!" Patience greeted.

"Hello Patience, hello Ia-" Carracosta stopped himself, when he noticed dark green scarf that was wrapped around Ian's neck.

"Could I speak with you for a minute, Ian?" Carracosta requested.

Ian, confused as to what was this all about, followed Carracosta, away from Patience. After making sure that the fire fox Pokemon wasn't within hearing distance, Carracosta spoke.

"This is only between the two of us, understand?"

Ian nodded.

"When I stumbled upon Patience, wrapped up in those scarves when she was nothing more than a baby Fennekin, I took it upon myself as an adult to raise her." Carracosta paused for a second to catch his breath. "Although we may not share blood, I treat her as if she was my own."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Ian asked.

"Patience giving you that scarf can only mean one thing: Patience is willing to open up to you. A part of her is now with you. And a part of you is with her, she really treasures that twig necklace that you made for her."

Ian looked down at his scarf, he never really thought of it that way, not until Carracosta mentioned it. The two of them are basically connected now, inseparable by anything.

"So, I want to ask you a favor." Carracosta said.

"What is it?"

Carracosta placed his hands on the mudfish Pokemon.

"Stay true to Patience, you mean everything to her. Trust is an important thing in a dangerous world like this."

Ian stood silent, his mouth opened, but no words came out.

"I-I understand." Ian said. He honestly wasn't expecting such a request from Carracosta

"Now go on, you wouldn't want to keep Patience waiting."

Ian nodded and excused himself, leaving the prototurtle Pokemon behind. He saw Patience, who was waiting patiently, casually twiddling with the twig that he had given to her.

"About time." Patience said." "What was that all about?"

"It's nothing." Ian lied.

"Is that so, huh? Okay then, off we go to Poliwrath River!" She exclaimed, running off ahead of Ian.

Ian sighed, and followed after the fire fox Pokemon. The words of Carracosta still fresh in his mind.

"Stay true to Patience."

Ian calmed himself down, he had nothing to worry, after what had happened over the past few days, he knew that befriending Patience was not a mistake.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said to himself.

* * *

A/N: Boy, ain't that a long chapter? Consider it my "loyal service reward" if you know what I mean.

Nothing much to talk about now, but I guess I do have something to ask you guys.

What do you think of the relationship/friendship of Ian and Patience?

I'm curious what you guys think about our two heroes friendship, is it good? Bad? Let me know.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher signing off!

Edit: Oh yeah! How could I forget?! As of writing this chapter, it is February 27th 2016, the 20th anniversary of Pokemon! (Confetti intensifies). So yeah a memorable day in Pokemon history which I'm glad to be a part of!


	17. The Hydroflames

"I see, so that's how it is then." Ampharos said.

Patience volunteered to explain everything to Ampharos, and also ask a few questions of her own.

Poliwrath River was a nightmare for Patience, the entire dungeon was nothing but water type Pokemon, and Patience being a fire type, it wasn't going to be a smooth run. After traversing to the deepest part of the dungeon, they were ambushed by the Poliwrath Brothers, three water type Pokemon that mean business. The three attacked on sight, specifically aiming at Patience. Ian's quick reflexes managed to push the fire fox Pokemon from harm's way, saving her. Ian managed to singlehandedly defeat two of the Poliwraths, with the usage of several wands and Blast Seeds. The third managed to avoid his attacks and blast him with a Hydro Pump, hurting the mudfish Pokemon. Patience tried to intervene but was met with the same fate. It was then that Ampharos stepped in, taking down the last Poliwrath with a swift Electro Ball to the back, saving Ian and Patience.

"What in blazes are you two kids doing here?!" The lighthouse Pokemon said.

"W-we came looking for you..!" Ian managed to say.

"Is that so? And why's that?"

Patience was about to show the Connection Orb to Ampharos, but was interrupted.

"Let's go to some place more safer before we talk eh? How about the hill with the big tree? That would be an ideal spot."

And now here there were, under the big tree, the sun just setting, turning from a dark orange sky to a brightly lit sky filled with stars. Patience had handed the Connection Orb back to Ampharos, much to his surprise.

"My, my! How careless of me to drop such a important item." He embarrassingly said. "Not only that, but have kids risk themselves to hand it back to me!"

"Ah, it's nothing." Ian said.

"Um... Ampharos? Would you mind if I ask you something?" Patience nervously said.

"Hm..? What is it? Um, Patience, was it?" Ampharos said.

Patience nodded.

"What is it you would like to ask?"

Patience shook nervously, both scared and excited to ask him. Ian noticed it and nodded to the fire fox Pokemon.

"A-are you... working with the Expedition Society?"

Ampharos remained quiet.

"Kecleon told us that the only Pokemon that uses a Connection Orb are shopkeepers, and members of the Expedition Society, and you don't look like a shopkeeper to me..." She explained.

"No. I do not work for the Expedition Society." Ampharos said.

Patience reacted in shock at that, and so did Ian, although he was less surprised than Patience.

"Y-you don't work for the Expedition Society...?!"

Ampharos shook his head.

Patience looked down in disappointment. She was honestly expecting the lighthouse Pokemon to be a member, but for all she know, she could just be a shopkeeper from some faraway land who doubles as an explorer.

"Why do you ask?" Ampharos said.

"Well... I thought you would be a member of the Expedition Society, because it is my dream to join the society and make a map of the world!" She explained.

"Is that so? That's a really nice dream to have!" Ampharos said.

"But, I can't do it..." Patience said moodily. "They don't let kids into the Expedition Society."

"Is that so? Well that's a shame..." Ampharos sympathized. "I wonder who thought of such a ridiculous rule. But, I think I could help you out with that."

Ian and Patience looked at Ampharos in confusion, as he reached into his bag. He took out a small box and tossed it to Ian, who barely managed to catch it.

"Go ahead, open it." He ordered.

Ian opened the box, inside were all sorts of items, badges, almost a few dozen littered inside, a bag with a logo similar to the badges, and two odd round looking objects with 5 spheres attached to it, a sixth slot missing.

"These-" Ampharos announced, and started posing. "-are Junior Expedition Society equipment!"

"Junior... Expedition Society?" Ian wondered. "That's a thing?"

"Why yes, it is a lower branch of the Expedition Society, comprised of kids like you! Helping out those in need! Consider this a thank you gift from me."

"W-wow! That's so cool!" Patience exclaimed, unable to contain her excitement.

"And here, I think you'll need this more than I do." Ampharos tossed the Connection Orb back to Ian. "You see those round looking objects there? That is an Expedition Gadget. More specifically: A Junior Expedition Society Gadget!"

"What's it for?" Ian asked.

"Push the button at the side and see for yourself!"

Ian did as told and push the small button that was at the side of the gadget, and soon after, a holographic image projected from the Expedition Gadget, five images labeled: Map, Team, Connections, List and Contact appeared before him.

"Holy moly...!" He whispered.

"Th-this is amazing...!" Patience exclaimed.

"Impressive eh? Tap on Map for me will ya?"

Ian tapped on the sphere that projected Map and the image faded and switched to a blank screen.

"There's nothing here." Ian said disappointingly.

"Try fitting in that Connection Orb." Ampharos said.

Ian took the Connection Orb and placed it into the Expedition Gadget, making a distinct "click" noise. A few seconds later, the Connection Orb glowed, and a map of the world suddenly appeared right before their eyes. A blinking red dot appeared on the center of the map, their current location. Ian zoomed in at the red dot and the words "Serene Village" appeared above the red dot.

"H-how... How and why do you have all this...?!" Ian asked.

Ampharos chucked.

"You really want to know? Well in truth, I'm actually-!"

"We really don't need to know!" Patience said.

"Patience...?! What the heck?!" Ian annoyingly said.

"Who cares how he got all these stuff? We're finally going to become Expedition Society members!" She gleefully exclaimed.

"Junior Expedition Society members." Ian corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

Ampharos coughed, snapping the two Pokemon back into attention.

"Anyway..." He said. "Why don't you enter your team name?"

"Team name?" Ian asked.

"Two or more members are able to form a team of their own." Ampharos explained. "If you would kindly tap on Team, you can enter your team name that you would like to be classified as."

Ian tapped on Team and an empty text box appeared and the Expedition Gadget projected a keyboard.

"So, what will our team name be?" Patience asked.

"Why are you asking ME?!" Ian said in surprise.

"You look like a guy who would know an awesome team name! Something that is catchy, something fits us and screams "epic"." Patience said.

"J-just give me a minute to think!" Ian said.

"Oooh! I got a few good ones! How about The Hot Waters, The Poké Duo, or even The Stormy Flames!"

Ian wanted something that would fit just perfect for the both of them, a water type and a fire type. Flames... What could he use for the water part of the team name?

It was then, he knew exactly what to call the team.

"The Hydroflames!" Ian excitingly said. "Our team can be called The Hydroflames!"

"The Hydroflames..." Patience repeated, and suddenly grinned. "Yes! That's a good name! The hydro represents you and the flames represents me!"

"Well yeah, that was what I was going for." Ian said.

"You're a genius Ian! Mind if I type in the team name?"

"Be my guest."

Ian handed over the Expedition Gadget to Patience, who typed in the team name onto the gadget.

"Annnnd done!" She said.

"Well that's that then!" Ampharos said. "You're now officially Junior Expedition Society members!"

"Watch out world, here comes The Hydroflames!" Patience announced and raised a hand in the air, Ian soon followed.

"Well then, I suppose it's time we headed back now." Ian reminded.

"Oh, right! It's a school night!" Patience exclaimed. "We got to head back home!"

Ian grabbed the box of Junior Expedition Society equipment and took off with Patience, rushing back home.

"B-but wait! I haven't even explained the rest of your equipment!" Ampharos said.

"There's always tomorrow!" Ian yelled back, and shortly afterwards, the two Pokemon disappeared from sight, leaving the lighthouse Pokemon all by himself.

Ampharos sighed. "Kids will be kids I guess..."

"Beep-beep beep-beep."

"Hmm? Now of all times?" Ampharos said. He reached into his bag and took out a device similar to the Expedition Gadget, he pushed the button to power it on and placed it at his ear.

"Ampharos here." He said.

"Boss...? Boss, is that you?" A squeaky, female voice said.

"Ah, Dedenne, what can I do for you?"

"Oh! Thank the stars! I've been trying to reach you for hours!" Dedenne said.

"Sorry about that, I was kinda busy..."

"Busy?! You just upped and left without even saying a word! With your horrible sense of direction who knows where you could have ended up?!"

"Oh ye of little faith." Ampharos sarcastically said.

"So where are you now?"

"Serene Village, just as I said I was going to." He replied.

"Serene Village...?! You actually made it there all by yourself?!" Dedenne said in surprise.

"Yes, yes, spare me the commentary."

"So, how is it? Did you find anything?" She asked.

"No, unfortunately. Nothing that relates to the case."

Dedenne remained silent for a moment, before replying.

"You think that lead was a fake?"

"I know her, she wouldn't give us bogus intel about something like this." Ampharos replied.

"But, we haven't seen her for almost 6 months! Who knows where she could be right now!" Dedenne defended.

"Gadget has her reasons for leaving, but she's still loyal, and I'm putting my faith in her."

"If you say so Boss..."

"I will remain here for a few more days, see if anything changes." Ampharos said

"Understood, I'll see you then." Dedenne.

"Right."

Ampharos ended the call and placed the device back into his bag. He sighed, and looked onwards at the view of the village.

"Just where are you, Gadget...? And what are you planning to do...?"

* * *

Entry #2

So we're officially Junior Expedition Society members. Quite the surprise I have to say, but hey, Patience sort of got what she wants so that's good I guess.

Ampharos is an odd fellow, in more ways than one. I have many questions about him, but few answers. Why does he have a Connection Orb, is he really "just a wanderer" like we were told? I think he bigger question is why and how does he just so happen to have "Junior" Expedition Society equipment on him? Was he expecting us? You want my guess? I think he's actually part of the Expedition Society, and he's just not telling us.

"Ian! I made some tea! Would you like some?" Nuzleaf called out from the next room.

Ian immediately stopped writing when he heard that. Ian did remember a small detail of his human past, he had a liking for tea, the smell and taste of tea always got him excited to drink some.

"There's tea in this world?!" Ian reacted in shock and excitement.

"Well, why not? Tea leaves is our village specialty, and a sought after commodity. Many come to the Serene Village just to get a taste of it!" Nuzleaf explained.

Ian grinned at the thought of drinking tea again, it felt like it's been years since his last cup of it.

"Does it come with milk?" He asked.

"Already preparing it, Junior Expedition Society member!" Nuzleaf joked.

Ian chucked at that, and continued writing a bit more before closing the book and heading off into the next room.

PS: Just found out that there's tea in this world, at least all is not lost.

* * *

A/N: And with that! The Hydroflames is officially formed! Only took us 17 chapters to get here.

I would like to announce that the suggestions for OC's and story ideas are now closed. I would to thank everyone for suggesting.

To ctran03931, you'll be happy to know that your OC has been picked for the story! Congratulations!

I'll leave you off today with two questions today: What was your team name in PSMD? And also I want to hear your thoughts on Gadget, the mysterious female member of the Expedition Society. Who is she? Why did she leave the Expedition Society? I want to hear what you guys think.

With that, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	18. Connections

"Wake up."

"Ugh... It's morning already?" Keldeo said. "Give me five more minutes, Virizion."

Verizion sighed, but couldn't really blame the colt Pokemon's exhaustion, it's been four days since they had arrived in the Water Continent, and nowhere close to their destination.

"I'm just as tired as you, Keldeo. But we still have our job to do. Now come on, get up."

Keldeo laid still for few more seconds before giving in, he got up and let off a yawn.

"How far till we reach Lively Town?" He asked.

Verizion opened her map and examined it.

"We could be there by tomorrow." She replied.

"Oh thank goodness! I don't think I can survive another-"

"Night." Verizion finished, to the dismay of Keldeo.

"Oh you got to be kidding me!" He exclaimed.

"Come on, we got no time to lose."

"I think I'm going to faint..." Keldeo mumbled, as the two continued onwards to Lively Town.

To meet up with the Expedition Society.

* * *

"Ring-ding ring-ding ring-ding"

"Alright, that concludes today's class." Farfecteh'd announced. "You are dismissed."

The class cheered for the end of another school day.

"Man, I can barely focus today!" Pancham said. "This heat is really starting to get intense!"

"It's not like you even focus in class in the first place." Ian remarked.

"Hey!"

"Summer is coming pretty soon..." Deerling said, sweat dripping of her forehead. "Let's just try to survive these next few days."

The whole class nodded, and the each of them went of their separate ways, leaving only Ian and Patience at the class.

"Alright Ian, today marks the first day of business for The Hydroflames!" She said, tossing a Expedition Society badge to Ian. The mudfish Pokemon caught the badge, and pinned it on his scarf. Patience soon followed as well.

"So uh..., now what?" Ian asked. "I don't suppose there's a bulletin board anywhere with job requests?"

"Not that I recall..." Patience said.

"Ampharos?" He said.

"Ampharos." Patience agreed, and the two made their way for the plaza to find Ampharos.

* * *

Ampharos chose to sit at the table furthest from everyone else in the café, he had ordered a cup of Serene Village's well known tea. He had kindly requested Kangaskhan to leave him be, for he had "important work to do". Despite Kangaskhan suspicious of the lighthouse Pokemon, it was not for her to pry into other people's business.

He took out his device, pushed a button and placed in at his ear. Dedenne picked up on the other side.

"What can I do for you, chief?" She said.

"Has our "guests" arrived yet?" He asked.

"We received a message from them just this morning." Dedenne replied. "Hold on... Let me go find it."

The sounds of papers rustling can be heard in the background, after a few minutes Dedenne came back on the line.

"Let's see..." Dedenne coughed, and started reading the message

"Expedition Society, we regret to inform you that our arrival has to be delayed. Due to fatigue, our new estimated time of arrival would be in the next two to three days. Sincerely, Help And Protect Pokemon Institute (HAPPI)."

Ampharos remained silent, processing the message.

"Hmm, guess we have no choice but to wait then." Ampharos said. "So much for a "quick arrival"."

"I guess Mist Continent folks just can't take the heat if you know what I mean." Dedenne joked.

"Best not say that in front of them." Ampharos warned. "We need all the help we can get."

"Yes, chief..."

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Ampharos noticed a familiar sight.

The two "Junior" Expedition Society kids.

"Listen, something urgent came up, I got to go now."

"Wh-what...?! Wait a minut-"

Ampharos disconnected the call, and placed the device back into his back, a few seconds later Ian and Patience walked up to him.

"Hey Ampharos!" Patience greeted.

"Yo." Ian said.

"Why, if isn't The Hydroflames?" Ampharos said. "How's work coming along?"

"Yeah... That's the thing we wanted to talk to you about." Patience said.

Ampharos leaned forward from his chair.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"You see... We don't know what kind of tasks we're suppose to do, we don't exactly have a place to accept jobs and-"

Ampharos stood up in shock upon hearing that.

"Oh my! How could I have forgotten the most essential part of an Expedition Society member? Especially Junior Expedition Society members."

"That must be really quite a mouthful..." Ian mumbled.

"You see, job requests posted in places such as bulletin boards are a thing of the past now!" Ampharos explained. "All requests are now on the Connection Orb!"

"Wait, what?!" Ian exclaimed.

"You'll see requests of Pokemon that require assistance displayed in the Connection Orb. Now, if you would kindly open your-"

"In that case, I don't really need an explanation." Ian said.

"What...?!" Patience and Ampharos exclaimed in unison.

"So all requests are now just from the Connection Orb?! If you told me that this morning everything would have made sense!" He said.

Ian took out his Expedition Gadget and turned on the device. He tapped on Connections and a huge blue screen projected from the Expedition Gadget. In the middle of it, a single request for from a pink coloured Pokemon called "Sylveon" appeared. The words "Accepted" appeared above.

"H-how did you even know...?!" Ampharos asked in surprise at the mudfish Pokemon's knowledge.

"There was an instruction menu inside the box you gave us yesterday." Ian explained. "Written by one "Jirachi The Genius", it explained everything I needed to know about the Expedition Gadget, explained about how Connections work, how you can gain more, etcetera, etcetera. Although it never said anything about this being the main source of jobs for some reason."

Patience and Ampharos simply stood there, mouths wide opened in surprise.

"Th-then what are we waiting for...?!" Patience exclaimed. "Let's go help out this Sylevon! Wheres the location?"

"Foreboding Forest." Ian replied.

"Let's get going then! I'll head off first to Kecleon's shop to see what he has in stock!" Patience said, running off towards the exit, before Ian could even call out to her, she was already long gone.

Ian turned off his Expedition Gadget and the projection disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you around Ampharos!" Ian said, waving a gesture at the lighthouse Pokemon before leaving, chasing after her fire fox companion. Ampharos stood for a few more seconds before realising what had just occurred. He sat back down, took a sip of his tea, and said to himself.

"With an attitude like that, these kids would make fine Expedition Society members when they grow up."

* * *

A/N: Surprised with the appearance of Verizion and Keldeo? I sure was when I thought of that idea.

In case you're wondering, I know, HAPPI actually stands Helping Adventurous Pokemon Prosper Institution according to Gates To Infinity. But, I'm changing things up. HAPPI has been reformed sometime after the events of GTI.

With that said, I do have a sort of announcement I would like to make. I'm thinking of starting up another PSMD story, this one is going to be a sort of one-off, non canon, parody stories in the PSMD world, mostly explaining the reason behind game mechanics existing. There won't exactly be a consistent schedule as to when I would update this story, most likely when I don't feel like writing a chapter for this story, so I would try to make a short one-shot so you would still get some PSMD goodness from me. What do you think? Tell me about whether you like this idea or not.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	19. The Journalist Who Seeks The Truth

"We really put in some good work huh, Ian?" Patience said.

"Mm hmm." He grunted.

"One day, our hard work will pay off, and we'll be Expedition Society members in no time!"

"Mmm."

"Are... are you snacking...?!" Patience exclaimed. She turned around to see the mudfish Pokemon, holding a half eaten Oran Berry in his hands.

"Yep." Ian replied, taking another bite into the blue colored berry. The sweet, juicy taste of the berry left him in a satisfying daze.

"It's going to be dinner time!" Patience shot back. Annoyed at Ian's glutton behavior.

"How about YOU try searching top to bottom for a pink colored Pokemon that somehow got lost in a forest like that?" Ian defended. Remembering what had happened in the Foreboding Forest. When the two had finally found the fairy type Pokemon, hunkered in a corner, almost in the brink of tears, her expression changed in an instant and hugged Ian and Patience in gladness with her soft, pink ribbons.

"I did, in that one path we didn't search because you said it was "too simple"." The fire fox Pokemon replied.

"Yeah, yeah..."

The sun was starting to set by the time the two had returned to the village plaza. The dark orange sun looming over the horizon, slowly ending the day. Villagers started making their way back to their homes marking an end to another day.

"Think we should tell Ampharos of our success?" Ian asked.

"Yeah, let's head to the Café Connection and-"

"Excuse me, you two?"

Ian and Patience turned around and saw a Pokemon, standing by the village's small pond. The Pokemon had red fur, from the neck up, bore wings, indicating the Pokemon being a flying type. The deep, grudged voice indicating being a male, a bag slung around his body and a... fedora?

"Those badges on your scarves... May I take a look at them?"

Ian and Patience looked at each other in confusion and decided to follow the Pokemon's orders and showed him their badges.

"Those badges...! There's no mistaking it! You're Expedition Society members!"

Before the two had a chance to respond, he took out a pencil and notebook in excitement.

"I'm Flecthinder, and I'm a journalist of The Poké Daily from the Grass Continent!" He said. "If you don't mind, I would like to know the Expedition Society's opinions on the uh... incidents..." He let off a short cough.

"Incidents...?" Ian asked.

Flecthinder closer examined the two Pokemon, noticing something odd.

"Hmm? Kids...?! I thought kids aren't allowed to join the Expedition Society." He said.

"That's what we wanted to tell you, we're not Expedition Society members." Patience said. "Junior Expedition Society members! At your service!" She said, her head held proudly high.

"Junior Expedition Society...? I've never heard of such a thing..." Flecthinder said, tilting his head in confusion.

"Huh...?" Patience said.

Flecthinder sighed in disappointment, and decided to not to waste his time on the two.

"If you're not actual Expedition Society members..., then forget what I said, this interview is over." He turned around and started to leave.

"W-wait...!" Patience exclaimed. "Tell us about these incidents! We would really want to know!"

"I'm afraid not." He said. "It's a secret that no one should know... Something that would cause widespread panic."

"Is that so?" Ian said. Walking up towards him. "Then do tell: Why would you want an interview about something so secretive?"

The ember Pokmeon kept quiet.

"Considering you're a journalist, if you got what you wanted, you would most likely publish it, for all your readers to see. So how would that be a secret then? You would just be causing even MORE panic. So i think we deserve to know what the hell is going on."

Flecthinder sighed, and decided to give in.

"Follow me... I'll explain everything." He turned around and started walking towards the village gates.

"Impressive." Patience complimented.

"It was nothing." Ian said, as the two followed after the journalist.

* * *

"Sorry about the mess." Flechtinder said, inviting Ian and Patience in. "I've been really busy these past few days."

The village had allowed Fletchinder to use one of the many "guest houses" that were located just outside the village outskirts. Pieces of paper scattered throughout the house. Ian could make out what was written on a few of the papers. There were newspaper articles.

"The Yatagarasu Thief! Fact or Fiction?"

"Wigglytuff's Guild Rates Decreasing. The Final Days Of The Legendary Guild?!"

"Rainbows Of Hope Appearing Once Again In Post Town!"

"These are some... very interesting articles you have here." Ian commented, eager to know more.

"Well, we live in quite an interesting world, now don't we?" Fletchinder commented, placing his fedora and bag on a table. The ember Pokemon then walked into the next room, a few seconds later coming out with a piece of paper in hand.

"Take a seat." He ordered the two. Ian and Patience both complied and sat down on the wooden chairs. He placed a piece of paper in front of them, on it was what seemed to be a drawing of two Pokemon, one gecko-like in shape with a scarf wrapped around its neck, it had the look of fear in his eyes. The other Pokemon, a sharp like horn sticking out the side of its head, it was closing its eyes and cowering next to the other Pokemon, as if it was hiding from something.

"Team Orion." Fletchinder said. "Exploration Team Federation's finest."

"Exploration Team Federation..?" Ian asked.

"An organisation from the Grass Continent." Patience replied. "They mainly focus on exploring mystery dungeons but they also act as a sort of government within that continent."

Fletchinder, surprised at the fire fox Pokemon's extensive knowledge, smiled.

"Clever girl." He praised.

"All in the days work of a Junior Expedition Society member!" Patience proudly said.

"Anyway... A couple of days ago, Team Orion were sent to Foggy Forest to investigate a disturbance within the area."

"What's does this have to do with anything?" Ian impatiently asked.

"I'm getting to it. They went out on their investigation in the morning, but never returned. Worried about them, the nearby settlement launched a search and rescue operation."

"An-and did they find them?" Patience stuttered.

"Oh, they found them alright. But..."

Fletchinder took a deep breath, and exhaled, before revealing the truth.

"They had been turned into stone."

Ian and Patience stared blankly at the ember Pokemon, processing what he had just said.

"T-turned... into stone...?!" Ian said.

Fletchinder nodded.

"WHHHHHATTTTTTT?!" Ian and Patience shouted.

"Stone...?! As in... STONE stone?!" Patience asked.

Flecthinder nodded.

"B-but how...?!" Ian said.

"That's why I'm here, I plan to find out the truth behind this." Fletchinder said. "Last week, I received an anonymous tip, claiming that this village has someone who might know a thing or two about this incident."

"Someone..." Ian said.

"-in the village...?!" Patience finished.

"It could just be hoax, but who knows, sometimes the answers come when you least expect it."

Ian looked at Patience and notice her hands slightly shaking, holding on to the twig necklace he had given to her.

"So what are you planning on doing?" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"Stay around for a bit, see if anyone looks even the slightest bit suspicious." Fletchinder replied.

Fletchinder stood up in shock and slammed his wings on the table.

"Oh my!" He exclaimed.

"What?! What is it?!" Ian asked.

"I forgot to serve you anything! What's a host without offering some refreshments! Hold on just a minute..."

He walked into the next room, leaving Ian and Patience to ponder about what they was just told.

Patience nudged Ian, getting his attention. "Hey... Ian...?" She said.

"Yeah...?"

"Do you... think this is actually real...?" She asked.

"I don't know... But we're in a world where creatures can be fire out of their mouths. So I suppose this could be a possibility."

"B-but this is different!" Patience said. "A stone is an inanimate object, so does that mean those two Pokemon are-?!"

"I rather not think about it." He interrupted.

Fletchinder came back into the room, holding a tray of cups.

"Oran Berry juice, a Grass Continent specialty." He said.

* * *

Entry #3

Pokemon being into stone... That's a scary thought.

Fletchinder had asked not to tell anyone about this, yet. He said that it might cause a lot of worried villagers, and most likely alerting the "culprit", scaring them off.

I honestly still find it hard to swallow. A living thing, being transformed into stone... That's basically murder! It's taking the life of another Pokemon...!

All this is giving me goosebumps, I think I'll just end it here, I rather not have nightmares.

* * *

Just then, there was a knock on the door, to the surprise of Ian.

"Now who could that be? Knocking at our door this late?" Nuzleaf wondered, as he headed for the door. He opened the door, and to his surprise was greeted to Patience, staring meekly back.

"P-Patience...?! What in tarnation are you doing here?!" Nuzleaf exclaimed.

"My old pops..." She said. "He left me a message saying that something had happened in his Oran fields, so he's not going to be back until tomorrow morning. He told me to stay over at your house for safety reasons."

"Oh my! If that's the case then please, do come in!" Nuzleaf said, ushering the fire fox Pokemon inside.

"Thanks, Mr Nuzleaf!" Patience thanked.

"Anything for ole Carracosta." He said.

Ian walked in, curious as to what was going on.

"So who was at the do-" He stopped mid sentence when he saw who it was.

"Patience...?!" He exclaimed.

"Mr Carracosta had something important to do and is unable to return home today." Nuzleaf explained. "So he wants Patience to stay here overnight."

"Yep." Patience said.

"I-I see..." Ian said. What was this feeling? He thought. His body shook for a split second, sweat dripping down his face.

Was he... nervous...?

"Could you help set up a bed for her? It's getting late and there's school tomorrow." Nuzleaf ordered.

"R-right..." Ian said. He went back to his room, took some hay from a box, and stared setting the bed up next to his.

Patience soon entered the room as well.

"So... this is your room, huh?" She asked.

"Indeed it is." Ian replied.

"Looks pretty... bland..."

"Well excuse me, I've only been for like... a week? So don't expect high-class accommodations."

"Right... I completely forgot!" Patience sheepishly said.

"Annnnnnd done." Ian said as he finished setting up the bed.

"Thanks Ian!" Patience said.

"You're welcome."

The fire fox then let off a huge yawn.

"I'm tired... I think I'll just go pass out on the bed now." She said.

"Go ahead." Ian said.

Patience walked towards her bed, she laid down and curled herself up, immediately falling asleep.

Ian couldn't help but smile at the sleeping fire fox, something about seeing her peacefully sleeping made him feel at ease. He inched his way forward and extended his hand, gently stroking Patience's soft orange fur.

"Sleep tight, Patience." He whispered.

* * *

A/N: And the plot thickens! Who turned Team Orion into stone? Keep reading to find out! Unless you've beaten PSMD already then you know who it is.

On a different subject, recently I finally decided to play Undertale after constantly being pestered by my friend. I thought to myself "Fine, lets see what this hype all about. I doubt I'll even like this game that much."

Oh, I was so, so wrong.

I immediately got attached to it, getting to it is like sinking into the Mariana's Trench, you're never going back out.

Undertale is also the second game that has made me shed a tear in recent years. The first being PSMD.

So, I got a question for everyone:

Name me a game that has made you cry or at least shed a tear. Don't be shy, we're all strong and won't cry so easil-

(Starts remembering about Undertale)

Oh god, um... If you'll excuse me, I think something big caught in my eye, and I need to wipe it.

So, uh... This is Ikcatcher, off to get a box of tissue paper.


	20. 01010111 01100001 01101011 01100101 0010

Wh-where... where am I...? Ian thought. Am I... dreaming...?

Ian tried opening his eyes, but couldn't, he tried again, but to no avail.

Just then, he heard something faint, he couldn't tell what were they at first, but it gradually got clearer and clearer.

Voices?

"We managed to obtain a sample." A female voice said.

"Good, the project can finally commence." A male voice said.

What the... Ian thought. Sample? Project? What the heck is this all about. Just then, he heard another conversation, loud beeping noises accompanied by it.

"The subject is getting unstable sir!" The same female voice said

"Shut it down! SHUT IT DOWN!" Another voice said.

A loud explosion was heard, followed by screams of agony. It made Ian froze, a chill running down his spine. He heard one final voice.

"WAkE uP! iAn! WAkE uP and SMeLL tHe AShEs!"

* * *

Ian jolted out from his sleep, sweat dripping all over his skin. He was gasped for air.

What the hell was that...?! He thought to himself, as he got his bearings.

Ian felt something on him, something, furry...? He couldn't tell at first. He hesitantly inched his face closer to the whatever that was on him. He could make out some... orange fur.

It was Patience, snuggled up next to him for some reason. He breathed a sigh of relief, but then questioned why was the fire fox next to him. Does she move a lot in her sleep? Or was it because she was... cold?

Ian couldn't really tell at that point, the warmth of the Patience's fur was making him sleepy. He tried gently pushing the fire fox Pokemon back to her bed, doing so only made the sleeping Patience resistant, and she moved even closer to Ian. He gave up and tried to continue sleeping.

"Less thinking, more sleeping..." He mumbled, before falling back to sleep.


	21. Summer Vacation

"Is that it...?"

A lone figure pulled down her hood, to confirm her location.

"There's no mistaking it, it's Serene Village." She mumbled, gritting her teeth.

"No more hiding...! I will find you...! And I will get my revenge!"

"Wake up, sleepyhead." Ian ordered.

"Five more minutes..." Patience muttered.

"We're going to miss school at this rate, not to mention it being the last day before summer vacation."

Patience simply grunted, and continued to sleep, annoying the mudfish Pokemon.

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you." Ian said.

"What are you-" She was interrupted as a huge surge of water hit her face, causing her to spring out of her bed. Patience started coughing and looked at Ian in anger.

"You could have found a better way to wake me up rather than splashing water over my face!" She yelled.

"I could." Ian said. "But I'd figured this would be the most effective."

Patience walked up to Ian and lightly punched him in the arm out of frustration.

"Do that again and I'll burn you." She said.

"The early Pidgey gets the Caterpie." Ian said, as he headed into the next room. Patience decided to forget about it, thinking it wasn't worth her time.

"Jackass..." She muttered.

* * *

"And with that, class, concludes our final class." Farfetche'd announced. "I wish you all a good summer vacation and remember to-"

Farfetche'd was interrupted by the sudden cheers of the entire class, screaming at the top of their lungs. He simply shrugged and walked off from the class, smiling.

"It's finally summer vacation!" Goomy exclaimed.

"It's been 3000 years...!" Shelmet said.

"Well, I'm outta here. Summer ain't going to wait for me!" Pancham exclaimed as he ran off from the group, followed by Shelmet.

"We'll be off too!" Deerling said to Ian and Patience. "See you guys later!" Deerling and Goomy headed off.

"I'll be heading off as well." Espurr said, following after the others, leaving Ian and Patience the only ones left. The fire fox Pokemon breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Summer's always the best time for me!" She exclaimed.

"Is it because you're a fire type?" Ian asked.

"Well, besides that, I get to spend entire days just fooling around and have fun!"

"Living the dream..." Ian said sarcastically.

Patience reached into her bag and took out her Expedition Gadget and turned it on.

"But now that we're Junior Expedition Society members, we got our work cut out for us." Patience said. "Now come on, let's head to the plaza."

Ian nodded and the two headed straight for the plaza, they had waved Vice Principal Watchog farewell one last time, who from the looks on his face, was eager to go back home and enjoy his summer vacation as well.

Ian couldn't really blame him, to be honest.

* * *

"All set!" Patience exclaimed, as she closed the Deposit Box.

"So, what's the job today?" Ian asked.

"An Axew has requested us to teach a mean Pokemon a lesson." Patience explained.

"Sounds easy enough." He said. "Who's the Pokemon?"

"Salemence."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Ian exclaimed, his heart nearly stopping when she mentioned Salemence.

"Yeah, I hope you're ready for a really bad time." Patience said. "Cause I'm not..."

Ian sighed.

"Well, it's not like we have any other choice." Ian said. "Let's head out then."

Patience nodded, and the two headed off to the village gate.

"Where to?" Ian asked.

"Lush Fo- Huh...?"

"What is it?"

Patience started pointing to something.

"Behind you..." She said.

Ian turned around to where Patience was pointing, and saw a tall, hooded, figure. It had black front paws, dark blue rear paws. A slick black body with furry edges, and a the tip of its tail in the shape of a yellow star.

The hooded Pokemon noticed the the two and started approaching them. Making the fire fox and mudfish Pokemon feel uneasy.

The Pokemon stood in front of them, towering over Ian and Patience.

"Could you kids help me with something?" A deep, emotionless female voice said. "Do you know where the Café Connection is?"

Ian and Patience looked at each other in confusion, and Patience decided to speak up.

"Uh... The Café is the big building on your right. You can't miss it."

She pulled down her hood, and noticed the building almost immediately. Her black, spiky hair, rustled as small gust of wind blew past. She had menacing red eyes, with yellow irises.

"Thank you. Now if you'll excuse m-" she stopped herself when she noticed the yellow badge with wings attached on the the two Pokemon, her eyes widened in shock.

"Those badges...?!" She muttered.

"Oh, these?" Patience said, looking at her badge. "We're Junior Expedition Society members!"

The Pokemon reacted in disgust when she said, as if she had just offended her.

"Humph...! Who gave you these badges?" She asked.

Patience was reluctant to reply, but her cold, expressionless eyes intimidated her.

"A-Ampharos gave it to us..." She replied.

The Pokemon raised her eyebrow in suspicion.

"Ampharos?" She said. "Is he still here?"

"I think I last saw him at the Café Connection." Ian replied. It was only for a split second, but he noticed a slight change in expression.

Did she just... smile?

"Thank you." The Pokemon said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way now." She said, walking past Ian and Patience.

"W-wait!" Patience stopped her. "Who are you? What's your name?"

The Pokemon stood there for a few seconds, and shook her head.

"Names are for friends... So I don't need one."

Patience, confused at what she meant, asked again.

"What do we call you then?"

The Pokemon sighed, clearly not interested, decided to answer her question.

"Call me... Gadget." She said, as she started walking away, leaving the two Pokemon behind.

"What an odd fellow..." Patience muttered.

"Agreed." Ian replied. The two of them were just as confused at Gadget's behavior, but there was thing they both agreed on.

Summer just got a whole lot more interesting.

* * *

A/N: And that's chapter 21 folks, sorry for the one week delay, I just wasn't motivated to write that week. There was also the fact that I'm planning on writing an Undertale fanfic, so I guess that's part of the reason as well.

Quite a few people had asked me about chapter 20's chapter title, asking why is it all in 0's and 1's. Well in case you didn't know, they're in binary. I'll let you figure out


	22. An Eye For An Eye

Entry #6

Today was a MESS of a day... Salamence far exceeded our powers and almost demolished us. He was too powerful for conventional attacks, Patience and I just started chucking Gravelrocks, eating Blast Seeds and casting Petrify Wands. By sheer luck, we finally managed to take him down.

Something else happened too, a Pokemon, called Gadget, came to the village. Gadget isn't her real name though. Strangely, she seems to know Ampharos. Are they friends? Colleagues? I don't know...

* * *

Ian sighed, his mind kept coming back to Gadget. He was really curious about the strange hooded Pokemon. He couldn't resist a good mystery.

It was only then he noticed sweat dripping of his face, he wiped his forehead and grunted.

"Summer really does suck."

* * *

"What?! Are you serious?!" Keldeo exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, yes." Verizion said. "The chief of the Expedition Society is not in at the moment."

"You got to be kidding me! You're telling me we came all the way to the Water Continent for nothing?!" He exclaimed, as he laid on his bed in their room in the Café Connection. They had only arrived in Lively Town 2 hours ago, the sun had already set. Virizion had decided to find the Expedition Society Headquarters and inform them of their arrival, while Keldeo find a place to settle down for the night.

"So... Now what?" Keldeo asked.

"They told me that the chief had left for a village, west of Lively Town." Verizon said, taking out her map of the Water Continent and inspecting it. "From the looks of it, it could take us about two days to get there."

"Two days?" The Colt Pokemon said. "But I'm exhausted! I haven't slept properly for almost a week!"

Verizion sighed, but she couldn't deny that fact. She too, was also exhausted from the travel. All she could think of now was a good night's rest.

"Fine." She finally gave in. "We'll remain here for a few days. I was told that the chief might return in the few days."

"Great! We could go around and see what this town has to offer." Keldeo suggested.

"Get your head out off the clouds and focus on the mission." Virizion snapped back.

"Right... Sorry."

Virizion looked down at her map, in deep thought, before raising her head again.

"Actually, there is one thing we could do. I heard Swanna needs a restock in supplies, and someone needs to carry them back."

Keldeo looked at the grassland Pokemon for a few seconds before unerring a single word under his breath.

"Dammit..."

* * *

Ampharos stared at the map he had pinned up in his room of a guesthouse he was using. It was a map of the Water Continent. Certain parts marked with a red X.

"These incidents are becoming more and more frequent..." He said to himself. "It is indeed quite disturbing."

Just then, he heard a knock at the door.

"Hmm? A visitor? At this late hour?"

He approached the door, his hand hanging over the doorknob. Half expecting whoever at the other side of the door would just leave him alone, so he could get back to his work.

Screw it. He thought. He opened the door with a quick jerk.

"Look, could you come back tomorrow? I'm kinda busy right-"

He stopped himself, when he saw the large, dark blue figure in front of him. Around its neck, a brown hood.

"Gadget..." He said, almost reluctant.

"Ampharos." She said. "You know why I'm here." She entered the house, to Ampharos disagreement.

"You sent us the information, the location of the potential culprit to these turning to stone incidents." He said. "It was only a matter of time before you came here yourself." The lighthouse Pokemon shut the door, and followed Gadget who had entered the room he was previously in.

Gadget looked at the map that was pinned onto the wall. Her face, a cold blank stare.

"You know I don't intend on arresting him." Gadget said, in a serious tone.

"It doesn't have to end that way." Ampharos said. "Work with us, and and we can bring this Pokemon to justic-"

"SCREW JUSTICE!" Gadget yelled, slamming her fists into the wall. "A Pokemon like that deserves no mercy! Especially from me...!"

Ampharos, slightly intimidated by the gleam-eyes Pokemon. But he could sympathize her.

After what had happened, six months ago.

"What happened in Amp Plains wasn't your fault." He said. "But maybe we can fix it, if we just capture the culprit, he might tell us a way to reverse the effects."

"To hell with that." Gadget snapped. "When I find him, I will make him suffer for every second of pain I've been through...!"

Ampharos remained silent, as Gadget headed for the door.

"Why then." Ampharos finally said. "Why did you send me here if you were going to finish the job yourself?"

Gadget stood still, shaking her head.

"I'm going show you, no, the Expedition Society. That an eye for an eye, is the most effective method."

She opened the door and left, slamming the door behind her. Leaving Ampharos, alone. Her words still echoing in his mind. An eye for an eye.

"Makes the whole world blind..." He finished.

* * *

A/N: Oh my goodness, I am so SO sorry about the delay! I feel really bad for leaving you guys hanging for such a long time!

The reason for this is because of school, and other personal things. At this rate, I honestly cannot meet the "weekly update" quota anymore. As of now, I might have to go for a "when it's done" updates. Again, I sincerely apologize.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off.

* * *

Update: Just an afterthought, but... What is up with the lack of Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon fanfic on the site? The game has been released worldwide for a couple of months now. You would think that there would be more fanfics. Is the lack of something original to write? Or the the lack of desire? Either way, it's kind of sad really.

I have a few ideas, why not write about Espurr? In the games, her parents are never shown, possibly indicating that she's an orphan, maybe a fanfic regarding her past would be an interesting read.

Or why not Ampharos? You could.. (Spoilers, but honestly even YOU know that he's the chief of the Expediton Society. If I spoiled that for you, well... Whoops)

You could write about how Ampharos and the Expedition Society came to be. Maybe even add a little twist while you're at it. Who knows?

Or you could always just go for something completely original, something fresh and interesting, maybe have it take place during the post-game. Like "The adventure is over, but a new threat looms over the horizon." Have a Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky kind of post-story.

Those are just a few of the many things you could use as a foundation for a good PSMD fanfic. Now the only question is:

"Are you up for the task?"

Anyway, that's all I have to say for today, and until then, I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	23. Haunting Rumors

"Good morning Ian!" Patience greeted.

"Patience." Ian greeted.

"It's another beautiful day to fulfill our Junior Expedition Society duties!"

"Really? It looks like it's going to be a really stormy day if you ask me." Ian said, looking up at the dark cloud covering the sky.

"Details, details." Patience said, ignoring the mudfish's Pokemon's comment.

As the two made their way to the village plaza, a strong breeze blew past them. Causing Patience to shiver a bit. For it only being the second day of summer, it was surprisingly cool thing morning.

"Hey, is that Ampharos?" Ian aspked, pointing in the direction of the gate of the village.

"And... Flecthinder?" Patience added.

Looking at the journalist, who was holding his notepad in hand, looked like he was interviewing the lighthouse Pokemon. Ian and Patience approached the two, curious about what they were talking about.

"Thank you for your time Mr Ampharos." Flecthinder said. "It was an honor meeting you."

"The pleasure's all mine." Ampharos replied, as the journalist walked away, looking extremely satisfied. The lighthouse Pokemon noticed the two Junior Expedition Society members, and ushered them over.

"If it isn't The Hydroflames!" Ampharos greeted. "How goes your expedition duties?"

"We're doing fine!" Patience replied. "I think we're starting to get the hang of this!"

"Haha! I knew you two would be perfect for this!" Ampharos complimented. "Keep this up and maybe you might even become an actual Expedition Society member!"

Patience giggled in excitement over the compliment, Ian merely raising an eyebrow.

"Where are you heading off to?" He asked.

Ampharos sighed, frowning when he heard that.

"And this is where I must tell you some unfortunate news: It is time for me to leave the village."

"WHAT?!" Ian and Patience exclaimed, shocked at what the lighthouse Pokemon said. "B-but why..?!" Patience asked reluctantly.

"Serene Village is nice and all." Ampharos said. "But it was about time I got back to my du-" He cut himself off, rephrasing his sentence. "-I got back on the road. The Dashing Wanderer's journey must continue!"

"Will we ever see you again?" Ian asked.

"Who knows, maybe you will." Ampharos said, winking. "Anyway, it's about time I take my leave now. Farewell!"

Ampharos headed off, leaving the village once and for all, and after awhile, disappeared from sight.

"Well, there he goes..." Ian said, bummed out of Ampharos sudden departure.

Patience remained quiet, still looking on at the village exit. She took a deep breath, and exhaled.

"Welp, no time to feel down now. We got work to do!" Patience said, she turned around but was suddenly bumped into, falling over.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

Ian knew the familiar voice, and turned around to confirm. It was Pancham, clutching his head in pain. Next to him was Shelmet.

"Oh hey Pancham." Ian greeted.

"Yeah... Hi." The panda Pokemon mumbled.

Patience got up off her feet, flashing apologetic smile at Pancham, who simply grunted.

"So, how's your summer going?" Patience asked.

"Pretty good, we've managed to prank 10 Pokemon in just two days! A new record!" He said proudly, laughing at his own accomplishments.

Ian and Patience looked at each other in bewilderment, both disapproving of the panda Pokemon's action, but decided not to bring it up.

"Hey, have you guys heard the rumors?" Shelmet asked, suddenly gaining the interest of the two.

"Rumors..? About what?" Patience asked.

Pancham and Shelmet looked at the fire fox Pokemon in surprised, as if she had just offended them.

"You serious?! You haven't heard of it?! It's the hot topic of the village right now!" Pancham exclaimed.

"Yeah... We've been kinda busy these past few days." Ian said.

"Fine, since I'm in a good mood today. I'll tell you guys about it." Pancham said. "There's been rumors about strange occurrences happening at the school at night."

"Strange occurrences?" Patience wondered. "How so?"

"Well... People saying it might be ghosts."

"Gh-ghosts?!" Patience exclaimed, stuttering in her words.

"Ghosts? Come on Pancham get real." Ian said.

"No, I'm serious! That's everyone's best guess as to what it was! Strange voices echoing from the school, saying: So hot... So very very hot..."

"It's creepy I tell ya!" Shelmet said, shivering nervously. "I can't sleep in the middle of the night without a gust of wind scaring the heck out of me!"

Ian simply let out a laugh. Confusing everyone.

"I ain't afraid of no ghosts." The mudfish Pokemon said. "Anything can be explained with a bit of rational thinking."

"If that's what you think. I hope the ghosts don't come to your room in the middle of the night and abduct you!" Pancham said.

"I'll tell those "ghosts" to come at me. I'm not scared of them." Ian said confidently.

"Anyway, we'll be going off now." Pancham said. "We got grand schemes of pranks to plan. Smell you guys later!"

"Yeah see you later." Shelmet said, as the two Pokemon run off in the opposite direction, eventually disappearing from sight.

"What a load of bull..." Ian mumbled. "What do you think Patience?"

He awaited a reply, but the silence was his only answer. Ian turned to face his partner to see Patience, staring at the ground, her eyes twitching, her whole body shaking.

"Patience?"

Patience jumped at the voice of the mudfish Pokemon, scaring her half to death.

"Don't scare me like that Ian!" She yelled. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Well excuse me! You seemed to be phasing out and you didn't answer my question!" Ian said in defense.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." She quietly almost a whisper. "I was just... thinking of something. Listen, this may seem sudden but, I don't think I have the mood to go exploring today."

"And why's that?" Ian asked.

"I don't know... Must have been something I ate..."

Ian kept quiet, half disappointed at the sudden change of plans. But he couldn't really argue, he wanted to have a little R&R to himself, it was summer vacation after all.

"I understand." He said. "Go on home if you like, if you need me I'll be at the Café Connection."

Patience smiled, happy at her partner understanding.

"Thanks Ian, I'll see you later."

With that, Patience headed back home, leaving Ian alone in the plaza once again. He didn't know why, but his body suddenly felt cold, as if the temperature had suddenly dropped.

"I've got a bad feeling about this." He mumbled.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone, hoped you enjoyed this week's chapter.

While disappointing that I didn't get as many suggestions for an Expedition Society OC, I still got a few from you guys and some of my own. So I have that going.

Nothing much else to say, so I guess I'll be going then. This is Ikctahcer, sigsmdjjfkgkdjkdksjtneskfkkeodjfenskodfjrndkifiejsdnfnr

Kgsoxkenisifkwbjsocjmakidjendrieidnfnejsjeje

So hot... So very very hot...

Why don't you come and play with me...?

We can have so much fun...

So very... very hot...


	24. Ghostly Whipsers

"This is ridiculous..." Watchog mumbled.

Watchog walked around the school office, each round causing him to be more and more impatient. He looked outside the window, it was already dark out.

"The principal is actually serious about this ghost rumor that's been going around lately! Now here I am patrolling the school all by myself for "ghosts"."

He sighed, the lookout Pokemon stared at a poster that read: "A good student, begins with a good teacher!". He shook his head, trying to stay focus.

"Focus Watchog!" He said. "When this is over and done with, you can head over to the Café Connection for a cold one."

"So hot..."

"What the...?!"

Watchog turned around in shock, hoping to catch whoever it is that nearly gave him a heart attack.

But there was nobody there.

Watchog didn't let his guard down, he was sure he had heard someone. For all he know, Pancham and Shelmet were playing pranks on him again. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Who goes there?!" He yelled. Hoping to get an answer. Just then, he heard a noise from outside, a raspy, rustling noise, and a... musical box...? The sound send a chill down Watchog's spine, if whoever intentions was to scare the living hell out of him. They were doing a really good job. He took a deep breath, and slowly inched his way outside. When he exited the office, he could see the entire school compound, what was usually a peaceful quiet night, suddenly had a sinister feeling looming over it.

He took another step, keeping a constant alert.

"So hot..."

Suddenly, Watchog froze, he couldn't feel his body anymore. He tried moving his legs, but to no avail. His heart started beating faster and faster, he felt something close by.

"Why don't you come and play with me? IN HELL!"

Before Watchog could even let out a scream, he vision went dark.

And everything went silent.

BOOTING UP...

USERNAME: MOBIUS

PASSWORD: ************

LOADING...

LOADING...

ENTRY CONFIRMED. WELCOME MOBIUS.

SEND MESSAGE

SEND TO: EPSILON

TOPIC: RUN

IT'S NO GOOD, "THE GRIM REAPER" IS STILL SPREADING. NO RESULTS FROM P151 SO FAR, WE MAY HAVE TO ASSUME YHE WORST. ACTIVATE PROTOCOL 2650. WIPE OUT ALL DATA ON YOUR DRIVE. I'll MEET UP WITH YOU SOON.

SEND

SENDING...

MESSAGE SENT

ENTER: PR 2650

PROTOCOL 2650 ACTIVATED, ARE YOU SURE WANT TO CONTINUE?

YES

DELETING DATA...COMPLETE

DELETING FILE: PROJECT AZOTH... COMPLETE

DELETING FILE: P151... COMPLETE

DELETING BACK-UP DATA...COMPLETE

SHUTTING DOWN...

HAVE A NICE DAY


	25. YOu CaNnOT EsCApe!

"Facts do not exist, there are only interpretations."

\- Friedrich Nietzsche

* * *

BOOTING UP...

USERNAME: EPSILON

PASSWORD: *********

LOADING...

LOADING...

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CODENAMED ALICE: ACTIVATED.

WELCOME EPSILON, HOW MAY I HELP YOU TODAY.

THINGS AREN'T LOOKING GOOD ALICE, I CAN'T REACH SECTORS LAMBDA, BRAVO AND CHARLIE. I FEAR THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN TURNED TO STONE.

OH DEAR.

DAMMIT, WAHT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO? IT'S TURNING US INTO STONE BY THE THOUSANDS.

WE STILL HAVE OUR "ACE IN THE HOLE" RIGHT?

YEAH, P151. BUT I'M HONESTLY NOT SURE IF IT WOULD WORK.

IS IT BECAUSE OF MOBIUS?

THAT TOO, BUT I HAVE A REALLY BAD FEELING ABOUT

ALERT! ALERT! UNKNOWN PRESENCE DETECTED AT THE PERIMETER! MULTIPLE HEAT SIGNATURES DETECTED! THEY ARE BREAKING IN!

DAMN! GET READY ALICE, I'M TAKING YOU TO SECTOR X-RAY

ACKNOWLEDGED.

COPYING FILES... 10%

40%...

80%...

100%...

FILES COPIED.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CODENAMED ALICE EJECTED

INITIATING PROTOCOL 2036

ALL FILES PURGED

INITIATING EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN

HAVE A NICE DAY

* * *

"What?!" Ian and Patience exclaimed.

"It's true, Audino found him lying unconscious on the school grounds this morning." Lombre said.

"But, what happened?!" Patience asked.

"He claimed a force of some kind knocked him out, he said also heard voices."

"V-voices...?!" Patience said, Ian noticed the stutter when she spoke.

"I'm sure he just fell asleep on the job and made an excuse for his laziness." Lombre said, laughing. "Anyway, don't get too worked up over it. I'll see you around."

Lombre walked off to do his usual routine, leaving Ian and Patience in the village plaza.

Patience nudged the mudfish Pokemon.

"You think it was... the ghosts?!" She asked nervously.

"I doubt it." Ian replied. "He probably just fainted from exhaustion or something that's all."

"I hope so..."

"What's all the ruckus?"

Ian and Patience turned around to see Gadget, holding a book in her hand.

"Oh, Gadget." Ian greeted. "Something about ghost hauntings at the school, it's nothing to worry about really."

"I see. I always do like a good mystery, keeps the mind active."

What are you going to do? Solve it?" Ian asked sarcastically.

"I'm surprised you caught on." Gadget said, impressed with the mudfish Pokemon. "Where's the school?"

Ian pointed to the direction of the school, to Gadget's gladness.

"Thank you, I'll be off now." She said, before rushing off towards the school. Ian and Patience stood there in silence, before Ian decided to speak up what thought about this.

"Is sarcasm just not a thing in this world?"

* * *

"Sir, it's me. I understand sir, but there were necessary consequences. The Exploration Team Federation is probably in an uproar right now. No, still no progress on the barrier, but I do have something interesting to tell you: A human. Unfortunately no, I'm afraid he lost of all his memories. This isn't the first time a human arrived here with no memories. Three times to be exact. Yes, preparations are underway as we speak. It's taken a lot of time and money, but I'm confident it's well worth the risk. Yes, I'll remain on standby until the time arrives.

Mr Yveltal"


	26. Diplomatic Tensions

The PEACE (Protect Everyone in A Catastrophic Event) Accords took place on the XX day of the XX month of the XX year. It was established shortly after the Bittercold Incident that occurred in the Mist Continent. It was signed at the renowned Wigglytuff's Guild in Treasure Town of the Grass Continent by the representative organizations in each continent, excluding the Sand Continent, whom lacked an organization. The Helping Adventurous Pokemon Prosper Institution (HAPPI) of the Mist Continent was reformed into the Helping And Protecting Pokemon Institution.

The accords stated multiple things:

1\. In the event of a crisis, all organization are to open their facilities for the public to take shelter.

2\. All organization heads are ordered to contact the other heads and appoint an emergency summit at a desired location.

3\. The organizations are to work together in order to overcome the crisis.

This, after multiple catastrophic events have taken place over the past few decades. This includes the Meteor Incident, the Time Crisis, and the Bittercold Incident.

As of today, the PEACE accords has not been initiated even once, and shows no signs of being initiated anytime soon with the world in a time of peace and prosperity.

* * *

"First of all, I would like to thank you two for coming here on such short notice." Ampharos said.

"To be fair, we've been here for about 4 days now." Keldeo said, annoyed.

Ampharos laughed nervously, feeling bad for leaving for such a long time.

"I apologize for that." He said. "For I had other matters to attend to.

"That's alright." Virizion assured. "We really enjoyed our time looking around Lively Town."

"That's because you're not the one getting supplies for the journey home..." Keldeo mumbled.

"Either way, we have urgent matters to discuss. Please, follow me."

Ampharos lead the two Musketeer Pokemon up a flight of stairs and into a room with a table, behind it on the wall was the Expedition Society emblem: A circle within a circle with wings. Verizion thought it wasn't the most creative, but then again, HAPPI didn't even have an official emblem.

Ampharos closed the door and ushered the two Pokemon to sit down. The lighthouse Pokemon took out a piece of paper and placed it on the desk.

"I'm sure you know what this is." He said.

Virizion inspected it and noticed that it was a drawing, a drawing she was far too familiar with, the two Pokemon that made the turning into stone incidents a major problem.

"Team Orion." She replied.

"It was one heck of a surprise." Keldeo said. "The Grass Continent's finest, turned into stone like it was nothing."

"Any leads on the culprit?" Virizion asked.

"A few Pokemon had been detained, but all of them weren't who we're looking for."

"Damn..."

Ampharos could hear the pain in Virizion voice. He had read the reports, the Ragged Mountains Massacre. An entire dungeon, all of its inhabitants, turned to stone overnight. It was the reason he had called HAPPI, he had reason to believe the culprit is somewhere on the Water Continent. All he had to do was request for some help in catching the criminal, catch the criminal, bring him to justice and be done before summer was over.

"Mutual gain", as he liked to call it.

"You said you were investigating this as well?" Keldeo asked.

"Yes, I believe the culprit is someone in this continent."

"WHAT?!" Keldeo and Virizion exclaimed.

"One of my... associates, believes that the culprit behind these turning to stone incidents is residing here."

"Do we know where?"

"No, I investigated the area where my associate suspected, but it proved fruitless."

"That's unfortunate." Verizion said.

Just then, Ampharos Expedition Gadget rang, much to his surprise. He took it out and answered it.

"Yes? Yes, this is Ampharos speaking. What? When?! Alright, I'll be there as soon as possible." Ampharos hung up the gadget. Slamming his hand on the table.

"What's going on?" Keldeo asked.

"It was the Rescue Team Federation of the Air Continent." He said. "The inhabitants of Pokemon Square have been turned into stone."

* * *

Patience jolted out from her bed, sweat dripping of her face, her heart beating really fast, her whole body shaking.

Again, she was having that dream again.

Patience's head was spinning, she couldn't think straight. She went over to the other side of the room and took a sip of water from a basin.

Much better.

She took a deep breath, and exhaled. It was third time she was suffering from some kind of nightmare. She honestly didn't really know, she could never remember the details of the as soon as she woke up, but it always left her agitated.

Great, just great.

She looked out her window and saw the moon, illuminating the night sky above, it was a really pretty sight.

She looked down at her twig necklace at held it close to her. It seemed to be a habit now, she would always hold on to the necklace whenever she felt insecure or nervous.

Maybe it's because it reminds me of Ian. Like a part of him is always by my side, always there to comfort me.

She shook those thoughts out of her head, and decided to go back to sleep.

Tomorrow's going to be another great day.

* * *

A/N: Haven't wrote an authors note in awhile, feels good writing freely without any planning. As of writing this, Pokemon Sun and Moon have already been revealed, with the three Alola starters.

So, which starter are you going to choose? Rowlet? Litten? or Popplio? I'm definitely Team Rowlet here.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off.


	27. The Plan

"I've been travelling this world for many years now, I have seen many things, explored many dungeons and made many friends. I have also witnessed the many times this world was nearly brought to ruins. If you want my honest opinion, I rather live in a world of complete darkness than to either have an extra hole on the planet, or be completely frozen. I'm sure that eventually, another crisis will occur, and another human will be sent to our world to save us all from impending doom. It's ironic, how we Pokemon are always being saved by humans despite them being long gone."

-Lucario, leader of Team Saber. Lecturing to a class of Rookie Exploration Teams.

* * *

"Odd..." Nuzleaf mumbled.

"What is?" Ian asked, sinking his teeth into an apple.

"These ghost rumours have been causing quite a stir around the village lately."

"Maybe it was because of what happened to Watchog yesterday."

Ian and Nuzleaf were sitting at the table and eating breakfast, the mudfish Pokemon had grown fond of this habit, it was one of the few times he would get to talk with Nuzleaf, for he had dungeons to explore.

"I honestly doubt that was the case." Nuzleaf said, sipping his cup of warm tea.

"Same here, there's always a logical reason behind everything."

"Good morning Ian!"

"Looks like Patience is here already." Nuzleaf said.

"Yep." Ian said as he finished his breakfast, got his bag and headed for the door, waving the wily Pokemon goodbye before leaving the house. He saw the fire fox Pokemon, smiling happily at him.

"You seem awfully happy." He said.

"Hehe! Today just feels like a good day! I can feel it!"

"Well, that's good to know." Ian said, patting Patience in the head. "Let's get going then, we got some explorations to-"

"Guys! Guys!"

The two Pokemon turned to see Goomy, Deerling and Espurr running towards them.

"Oh hey Goomy, Deerling and Espurr." Patience greeted. "What seems to be the problem?"

"There seems to be something going on at the plaza." Goomy said.

"We're not sure what seems to be the problem though." Espurr said.

"That's why we're going to go find out. Come on let's go!" Deerling ordered.

Ian and Patience nodded and tagged along with their classmates, heading to the village plaza.

* * *

"He... He just disappeared! When I ran outside after I heard him scream... He was... He was...!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH MISS AUDINO." Magnezone said. "THERE'S NO NEED FOR YOU TO CONTINUE. WE WILL CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION IMMEDIATELY."

Ian, Patience, Goomy and Deerling pushed through the crowd to see Audino, being questioned by Sheriff Magnezone. They noticed Pancham and Shelmet were there as well.

"What's going on here?" Ian asked.

"It's terrible!" Audino exclaimed. "Mr Farfetch'd has gone missing!"

"WHAT?!" Goomy shouted. Deerling shortly after.

"Wh-what happened?!" Patience nervously asked.

"Me and Mr Farfetche'd were doing our night duties over at the school, when he told me he wasn't feeling well, so he went outside. But a few seconds later I heard him scream! Worried, I ran outside to check on him, but Mr Farfetche'd was nowhere to be found..."

The students stood still in shock, unsure on how to respond.

"Oh dear, this is terrible." Audino said.

"Do you think... He was abducted by the ghosts...?!" Raticate stated.

"GHOSTS?!" Roselia yelled. Taking everyone by surprise.

"CITIZENS, PLEASE REMAIN CALM!" Officer Magnemite ordered. "THERE ARE NO "GHOSTS" HAUNTING THE VILLAGE."

"PRECISELY." Magnezone agreed. "NOW PLEASE, LEAVE THIS TO THE AUTHORITIES AND CONTINUE ON WITH YOUR DAYS, THANK YOU."

With that, the crowd started dispersing, returning to their daily routine. Leaving only the children of Serene Village.

"Well that's not good." Ian said. "Where do you think Farfetch'd went?"

"What if he really WAS taken by ghosts?!" Goomy said, nervously shaking.

"I'm not one to jump to conclusions." Espurr said. "There must have been a logical reason behind this."

"Hey!"

The five turned around to see Pancham, who called them.

"Meeting. Big tree by the hill. Now." Was all he said, as he and Shelmet left.

The rest, confused as to where this was going, reluctantly followed after the panda Pokemon.

* * *

"What's the meaning of this Pancham?" Deerling demanded.

"This ghost shenanigan has been going on for too long." Pancham said.

"Well, it's only been going for a few-"

"That's besides the point! So, I got a plan."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this..." Ian said.

Pancham ignored the mudfish Pokemon's comment and continued.

"We, are going to get to the bottom of this mystery, and find out what happened to Mr Fafetche'd, by going to the school tonight!"

"WHAT?!" The rest exclaimed in shock.

"You're insane!" Patience said.

"What's the matter Patience? Are you a scaredy Delcatty?" Pancham said.

The fire fox Pokemon didn't reply.

"I'm up for it." Espurr said, surprising the rest of the students.

"See? Espurr knows what's up." Pancham said.

"Uh... Is this really necessary, Pancham?" Shelmet reluctantly asked.

"Shelmet." He said. "Don't tell me that YOU'RE scared as well?"

"Wh-what?! No!" He denied. "I'm just saying that maybe there's another way!"

"Humph."

Ian, like the rest of the students, wasn't sure about this plan. Sure, he wants to get to the bottom of this mystery. He keeps telling himself that this wasn't the work of ghosts but merely someone taking a prank too far.

Now, he's not so sure anymore.

"So, who's up for it?" Pancham asked.

Everyone remained silent, until Deerling decided to speak.

"I'll go."

"Me too." Shelmet said.

"Uh... I'm in as well!" Goomy said.

"Screw it, I'll go." Ian said.

Patience wanted to back out from this, but couldn't find the courage to do so.

"And Scaredy Patience?" Pancham asked, awaiting the fire fox's reply.

"I'll go!" She said, immediately regretting her decision.

"Then it's settled, we'll sneak out of our home at night and head for school." Pancham said.

"Um, what if we get caught?" Shelmet asked. "You DO realise we're not allowed to go outside after dark?"

"Then don't get caught! Simple as that. If there aren't any further questions, this meeting is over. Let's solve this mystery once and for all!"

No one else cheered Pancham on, leaving him in an awkward position. Coughing, he and Shelmet left. Eventually the rest of the class started dispersing, getting ready for "adventure" that awaits them. Leaving only Ian and Patience at the tree.

"I didn't sign up for this..." Ian mumbled. "Come on Patience, we've got some preparations to-"

"Wait Ian!" Patience called. "Could you hear me out for a bit?"

"What is it?"

Patience inched closer to the mudfish Pokemon, Ian could have sworn he noticed her expression changed for a split second.

An expression of happiness

"I... have a confession to make-"

"You're afraid of ghosts?"

"So you knew?" She breathed a sigh of relief. "That makes things easier then."

"I knew it the moment I noticed your mood changed with the mention of ghosts." Ian stated.

"Yeah... It's just that, ghosts are my weakest point, just the thought of it gives me the shivers." She turned looked up at the clear blue sky and gave out a loud sigh.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Patience." He said. "Fear gets the better of us all, it's what makes us hu- I mean Pokemon. It helps us differentiate threats, friend or foe. Fear keeps us alive." He placed his hands over Patience's shoulder looking her in the eye. "And it's up to you whether you're going to face it head on, or run away like a coward."

Patience placed Ian's hand down, and let off a small chuckle.

"You really do know how to give someone a pep talk to someone huh Ian?"

"I aim to please." Ian said. "Now come on, let's head back home."

Patience nodded and follow after Ian. He was right, sulking about it wasn't going to help her, she is going to have to face the music.

It's going to be a long night.


	28. Into The Belly Of The Beast

"A friend is all that is needed to change a person's life."

-Unknown

* * *

Night had fallen and it was time to get moving. Ian got out of bed and grabbed his bag. It was filled with recovery items, wands and orbs that he had picked up from dungeons. He was just about to leave for the door when he stopped dead in his tracks.

Idiot, what was I thinking?! Nuzleaf was in the next room!

The mudfish Pokemon peeked out of the room, and saw Nuzleaf, snoring soundly in his sleep. If he'd went out the front door he was guaranteed to be caught. He wouldn't want that to happen. He looked around his room to see if there was another way to leave the house.

The window? I could try that, but it's grilled.

Ian approached the window and inspected it. The grill seemed fragile from the looks of it. Perhaps he could remove it...

Sorry Nuzleaf, no hard feelings.

He pulled the grill with all his might and it immediately came of. Causing him to almost lose his balance. He placed the grill below the window, reminding himself to put it back when he returned, and climbed through the window. He felt a sudden cold breeze when he got out of the house, making him shiver. Suddenly a loud thunder flashed in the sky, causing a loud bang to be heard.

Not the best kind of weather to go ghost hunting. Right, now to go find Patience.

Ian went around the house to the front door, and saw Patience, already waiting for him.

"Did you really think I was going to leave through the front door?" Ian asked.

"No, I just figured you'll wait here." The fire fox Pokemon replied.

Just then, a flash of lightning flashed in the distance. Soon after a distant thunder roared.

"Come on, time to move." Ian said.

"Wait up Ian!" Patience called.

"What?"

"Could you... Let me stick closer to you?"

"Come again?"

"I feel a lot more safer, especially if it's you." Patience said.

Ian sighed. Knowing he couldn't say no.

"Fine."

"Thanks Ian..."

Patience inched closer to the mudfish Pokemon. Ian could feel the heat of the fire fox Pokemon radiating from her body.

"Let's go." He said.

The two made their way towards the plaza, which is now nothing more than an empty courtyard, with everyone in their homes sound asleep. Ian actually found kind of peaceful, despite the dreadful weather.

Hmm?

Ian could have sworn he heard something. He stopped in his tracks.

"What's the matter Ian?" Patience asked.

"I heard something." Ian said. Scanning the area to see if his assumptions were true. Just then, out of the corner of his eyes, a shadow dashed past him. He turned, and saw a bush rustling, as if someone had just entered it.

"Alright, show yourself!" He yelled. Half expecting the stranger to reply.

"I'm impressed."

The lone figure got out of the bush, and it was a familiar but confusing sight.

"Gadget?" He said.

"What are you doing here?" Patience asked.

"I should be asking you the same thing." The gleam eyes Pokemon said. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

Ian and Patience looked at each other, they somehow felt like they could communicate without even talking.

What are we supposed to tell her? That we are hunting ghosts? We'll be sent back to our homes and pops ain't going to be happy about it.

Don't worry, I got an idea.

"We're going to hunt for ghosts, wanna come?"

Patience dragged Ian over to the side, shocked as to what he just said.

"What the hell Ian?!" Patience whispered. "When I said to tell we are hunting ghosts, I didn't actually mean it!"

"You did?" Ian said. "I thought you were just making weird faces at me."

Patience face palmed so hard, Gadget looked over to see what was wrong.

"Look, I think we can manage." Ian said. "Remember that Gadget said she wanted to solve this ghost mystery right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, we tell her that we might have a lead and it's coming from the school. That way she wouldn't send us back home because she would be too distracted."

Patience wondered for a few seconds and finally understood what he meant.

"But wait, what are the others going to say? An adult coming along with us would seem pretty suspicious."

"Bah, Gadget can explain it herself, she wants to solve this mystery just as much as Pancham."

"Fair enough."

Ian and Patience returned to Gadget, who was still confused as to what they were doing here.

"Ahem, Gadget, we are trying to solve the mystery of the ghosts." Ian said.

"Is that so?"

"Y-yeah, the rest of the children of Serene Village are in on this as well." Patience said.

"You serious?" Gadget said. "Don't you think this is a little dangerous for you kids?"

Ian and Patience looked at each other, unsure as to what to say next.

"Listen Gadget, we can make a compromise here." Ian said. "We want to solve this mystery, you want to solve this mystery. So how about we work together, not tell our parents about this, and solve this mystery before breakfast. What do you say?"

Gadget pondered the offer for a few moments.

"Fine." Gadget agreed. "But don't expect me to babysit you two."

"I'm glad we could work this out." Ian said.

Gadget walked off in the direction of the school. Ian and Patience causally followed behind.

"Well done, Ian." Patience praised.

"What can I say? I have a silver tongue."

* * *

"What took you guys so long?!" Pancham exclaimed. "We've been waiting for almost an-"

He stopped himself when he noticed a third Pokemon with them, towering over everyone else, and donned a hood.

"Pancham, Gadget." Ian said. "Gadget, Pancham."

"Greetings." She said.

"Wh-why's an adult doing here?" Deerling asked.

"It does seem rather odd." Espurr commented.

"Gadget wants to solve this ghost mystery as well." Patience explained.

"Would you say no to this face?" Gadget said. Looking Pancham in the eye. All the panda Pokemon saw were cold, intimidating eyes that looked like she could rip him in half in seconds.

"Um... No. Y-you can go on ahead!" Pancham said.

"Thank you."

Everyone went to their usual seats like any other school day, as well Gadget, who went to the only empty seat that wasn't occupied.

"So... What now?" Ian asked.

"We wait."

"That's it?"

"Well, what were you expecting? I go and call out to the ghosts demanding them to show themselves? Please, I know better. If there really were ghosts, they should be coming right about-"

"So hot..."

"-now..."

"Um, who said that...?!" Goomy nervously asked.

"It wasn't me." Deerling said.

"Not me." Shelmet said.

"Nope." Ian said.

"Same here." Patience said.

"Not me either." Espurr said.

"If it wasn't any of us, that could only mean that-"

"I WAS THE ONE WHO SAID IT!"

Everyone jolted in terror when they heard an unfamiliar voice booming. Just then, purple flames appeared, surrounding them.

"WHY HAVE YOU INTRUDE ON SACRED GROUNDS?!" The voice said.

No one knew how to respond, all they could do was remain quiet. Ian looked over at Patience, he noticed the fire fox Pokemon shivering, her legs shaking. She was scared.

So was he.

"TRESPASSERS WILL BE PUNISHED FOR SUCH TREACHERY! MY MINIONS, ATTACK!"

"Oh sh-" Just before Ian could finish his sentence, a sudden sharp pain hit him in the head, falling to the ground, his vision was blurry. But he could still hear what was going on.

"Deerling! Look out!" Pancham yelled, Deerling screaming shortly afterwards.

"I never asked for this!" Shelmet said.

"Have at you!" Gadget shouted. Explosions being heard shortly afterwards.

Just then, Ian heard something that he could never forget. Something that would forever scar him.

Patience's blood curdling scream.

* * *

"Ian! Ian! Wake up!"

Ian slowly regained his vision, seeing two figures squatting next to him.

It was Goomy and Deerling, both looking rather messed up.

"Ugh... Wh-what happened...?" Ian asked, still trying to get a beating as he stood up.

"You got hit in the head by a projectile." Goomy said. "Instantly knocked you out cold!"

"What happened to others...?"

"Pancham, Shelmet, Espurr and Gadget are all missing! It's just the four of us."

Four of us...

"Patience!" He suddenly remembered. "What happened to Patience?!"

Goomy and Deerling looked at each other and suddenly frowned, which worried Ian.

"I... I think it's best you see for yourself..." Deerling said.

Scared, Ian immediately got up and pushed past Goomy and Deerling, and what he saw made him sick, his heart starting beating faster.

It was Patience, laying motionless on the ground, her entire body covered in scratches and bruises.

"No no no no no no! Patience!" He yelled, rushing towards the injured fire fox Pokemon. He placed his hands over her nose. He felt a whiff of air exiting her nose.

Thank goodness...

He breathed a sigh of relief, but he couldn't relax just yet. Patience is in bad condition. He was going to have to treat her wounds.

It was his responsibly as leader of The Hydroflames.

"Goomy, Deerling." He said, now more calm.

"What is it?" Deerling asked.

"See if there's any medical supplies in Ms Audino's office. Particularly bandages."

"Got it!" Goomy said, as the two rushed off. Leaving Ian alone with Patience.

Stay calm Ian, stay calm... You can do this...

Ian only now noticed that raindrops started falling from the sky. It was starting to rain. Not making his job any easier. He place his bag on the ground and swung it open, taking a few Oran Berries out. He tried placing it in Patience mouth to see if she was to able to eat the berry, healing some of her wounds.

No such luck, just as he'd feared. But he knew what he had to do.

He remembered Nuzleaf teaching him of a traditional method Pokemon still use today to heal themselves in the event they are unable to eat. The steps were to get some bandages, squeeze the Oran Berry's juice onto the wound, and then wrapping it around the injured area.

It was simple, Ian hoped.

Deerling and Goomy came back rushing, panting as the deer Pokemon held out a roll of bandage to Ian.

"H-here you go Ian!" Deerling said, panting heavily.

The mudfish Pokemon took the roll of bandage and immediately went to work. He took a few Oran Berries and slowly squeezed it over Patience's wounds, from her legs, her cheeks, and then her body. After that he started wrapping parts of Patience's body that was injured with the bandage, making doubly sure he didn't place too much pressure on the wound, which would otherwise hurt her.

Done.

Ian breathed a sigh of relief when he finally finished. The fire fox Pokemon looked more like a walking fox mummy more than anything, but it was the only thing he could do.

"Good job, Ian." Deerling said, placing her hand on the mudfish Pokemon's shoulder.

"Yeah... Gotta thank ol' Nuzleaf for this." He said. "So now what?"

"We look for the others I guess..." Goomy said. "But the problem now is where?"

"I may know where they went."

The three turned their heads to where the voice was coming from and saw Espurr.

"Espurr!" Deerling exclaimed. "Where have you been?!"

"Me and Gadget were chasing after the ghosts that attacked us." She said. "They had kidnapped Pancham and Shelmet."

"What?!" Ian, Goomy and Deerling exclaimed.

"They took them to the Ancient Barrow." Espurr continued.

"A-Ancient Barrow...?!" Deerling muttered, suddenly shaking uncontrollably.

"This is NOT good at all!" Goomy said.

Ian, confused as to what was going on, had to ask.

"What's this "Ancient Barrow"?"

"You haven't heard? It's Serene Village's darkest secret, one that no one should ever speak of." Goomy said. "Long ago, when the original founders of Serene Village settled here, they were constantly harassed by a demon that resides by the tree you see today by the big hill. Constantly hurting others, and stealing food and money from the village. So the villagers devised a plan, they built a door in the centre of the lake, in the shape of a tree stump."

Ian vaguely recalled seeing a rather odd purplish tree stump in the middle of the lake, but didn't really think much of it.

"Upon completion, the villagers called upon the demon, and told it that there was an abundance of treasure that laid underground, they were willing to share it on one condition, leave them alone. To which the demon agreed to. When the demon entered the door, the villagers immediately shut it and sealed the door with an enchanted seal, never to be opened by again."

"Until now..." Deerling continued. "If the seal is broken, then that means-!"

"Calm down!" Ian ordered. "It's nothing more than a folklore." After what had just happened, he honestly didn't know WHAT to believe now. "Even if there really was a demon, we have ghosts that took our friends to worry about."

The rest remained silent.

"Anyway, Espurr, you said you were with Gadget right? Where is she now?"

"She went on ahead into the Ancient Barrow without me. She asked me to check on you guys."

Everyone gulped nervously, they knew what they had to do. It was the only to save Pancham and Shelmet, but also solve this mystery once and for all.

They're going to have to dive headfirst into the belly of the beast.

* * *

"This is the place." Espurr said. Pointing towards the purplish tree stump.

Deerling and Goomy followed behind, still nervous of the thought of entering the "demon's den". Ian arrived shortly afterwards, carrying the unconscious Patience on his back. He was glad that she was extremely light for her size. Otherwise he would been having a bad time.

Rain continued pouring down on the village, it was a heavy downpour, with loud thunderstorms echoing the night sky. The children approached the tree stump and noticed that the doors were open. Sending chills down Goomy and Deerling's spine.

"Well that's not good." Ian said. Gently placing Patience on the ground. Making her lean on the tree stump.

"What are we going to do...?!" Goomy asked. "Should we tell the adults about this?"

"No!" Deerling stood in. "If we tell any of the adults about this we're dead! Who's to say they will believe us? Especially with such a taboo this place holds, we can get ourselves in big trouble for this!"

"I guess we're on our own then..."

"Guys!"

The three turned around to see Espurr, who was checking on Patience, calling out to them.

"Patience is regaining consciousness!"

As soon as he heard that, Ian immediately dashed to Patience side. He saw the fire fox Pokemon slowly opening her eyes. To Ian's relief.

"U-ugh... Ian...? Where am I? How did I-argh!" Patience tried getting up, but the pain from her injuries still lingered, causing her to fall, Ian immediately catching her.

"Easy there... Patience." He said. "There's a lot you need to know first, so just try to relax."

The fire fox Pokemon nodded and sat back down. Ian started explaining everything that has just occurred, the situation they're currently in, and what they needed to do.

"I see... Thanks for patching me up." Patience said.

"I'm just glad you're okay"

"If I may interrupt." Espurr said. "We better hurry up and find out where Gadget and the others went. We got at least a couple of hours before sunrise."

"Right, we should get moving, and fast." Ian said. "Patience, you stay here and wait for us."

"No...! I'm coming with you guys!" She pleaded. Getting up once more. This time being able to stand on her own.

"Not with those bad injuries of yours! You'll only be putting yourself in even more danger!"

"Ian's right Patience." Deerling said. "I think it's best you wait for us here, even if it is a little scary..."

"Yeah. It's for the best." Goomy said.

Ian reached out to Patience and placed his hands over her shoulder, he felt a very heavy weight on him when he felt her soft fur. Patience was her responsibility right now, no Carracosta, no Nuzleaf.

Just him.

"Please... Don't put yourself into anymore danger, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I promise."

Patience looked down towards the soaked floor beneath her, pondering. She felt let out a long sigh and accepted.

"Fine..."

"Thank you..."

Letting go of the fire fox Pokemon, Ian nodded at the rest, and entered the Ancient Barrow. Looking back at Patience one more time, before disappearing into the darkness. Leaving the fire fox Pokemon all alone.

"Don't make a girl a promise, if you know you can't keep it." She whispered.


	29. Enemy Unknown

"People fear what they do not understand."

-Andrew Smith

* * *

Darkness... All that laid ahead was darkness.

Gadget cursed, she had lost the perpetrators in this narrow, confusing maze of a dungeon. The gleam eyes Pokemon had pursued after them the second that made a run for it. She launched an Electro Ball attack on one of the "ghosts" but missed. Causing a small explosion. Her pursuit led her to this odd dungeon that was in the middle of Serene Village's small lake.

She shook her head, trying to stay focus on the task at hand. She needed to find the two children, and the other missing Pokemon, Farfetche'd.

But first, she needed to see. She closed her eyes and started to focus, she slowly breathe in, and out, and opened her eyes. The cave was clear now and she could see everything.

She was the gleam eyes Pokemon for a reason after all, the ability to focus all energy to her eyes, vastly improving her vision.

Thank you genes.

Gadget started scanning the area, trying to detect any hint of motion or sound coming from further ahead.

Just then, she heard something. Gadget heard something directly ahead of her, it didn't sound like footsteps. It was... moaning...?

Gadget quickly sprinted forward, heading to the source of the mysterious moaning. Was it one of the kids? Or a trap for someone to ambush her...? When she finally reached the sound, it became clear to her. It was Farfetche'd, or at least she think it was, she never really got a visual confirmation of the missing Pokemon, for all she knew this was a completely different Pokemon out of many who had been kidnapped and nobody knew. Fafetche'd seemed to be tied up with a natural rope of some kind, it looked more like vines than anything.

"Farfetche'd!" She called out, hoping to get the teacher's attention. The wild duck Pokemon opened his eyes, surprised with the unknown Pokemon.

"W-who are you...?" He said.

"I'm here to get you out of here." Gadget replied. The gleam eyes Pokemon held onto the vines and pulled it as hard as she could in order to break it. After a few seconds, the finally broke loose, dropping Farfetche'd to the ground. He let out a cough, grabbed his stalk and slowly got onto his feet.

"I... I cannot thank you enough for saving me." Farfetche'd said.

"We're not out of the woods just yet. You first need to get out of the Ancient Barrow first."

Farfetche'd's eyes widened with the mentioned of Ancient Barrow. He tried expressing his shock, but fatigue got the best of him and he was unable to speak.

"The exit's that way." Gadget said, pointing in the direction she came from. "Get out of here, go!"

Farfetche'd nodded and started limping his way out, disappearing into the darkness.

Gadget took a deep breath, remembering her task at hand.

One down, two to go.

* * *

"Espurr, are you sure you know where we're going?" Ian asked.

"No." She replied. "We have not seen any other paths besides this one. So I think we're okay."

"Fair enough."

Ian turned around to see Goomy and Deerling, who were following behind him. Deerling gave a worried expression, Ian nodded, hoping it reassured the deer Pokemon.

Ian took this time to ponder on what has happened. He honestly wasn't sure who they might run into in this dungeon. They have yet to encounter a single form of life down here. Perhaps the legends were true, and the only one living down here was the "demon" of Serene Village. A dark secret that he, and the rest of the children weren't supposed to know.

"Hey guys, I have a question." Ian said. "Do you think maybe the demon took Pancham and Shelmet?"

He should have kept his mouth shut.

The others stopped dead in their tracks and looked at the mudfish Pokemon in shock. Deerling and Goomy had identical expressions of surprised and horrified at what he had just said. While Espurr kept a straight face, Ian wasn't sure whether she was unfazed or was silently judging him, which was making his skin crawl.

Just then, they heard something from behind them. Footsteps. Everyone turned their heads to look behind them. Something was coming out from the shadows.

But that's impossible, there were no other paths besides this one, indicating that someone had entered the Ancient Barrow as well. But who? Who would know, let alone dare to even enter this cursed dungeon?

For a brief moment, Ian had a faint idea on who, which would soon be confirmed.

As the footsteps got closer and closer, the group could make out a features of said Pokemon. Orange fur... They knew exactly who it was.

"Patience!" Ian yelled. Pushing past Goomy and Deerling and approaching the fire fox Pokemon. Patience was limping, she could barely even walk, so why did she decide to follow them in?

"S-sorry about this..." Patience said. "But I'm not going to give up just yet! And besides, it was getting kind of cold outside."

Ian grabbed hold of the injured Fennekin. Keeping her balance steady as he turned to face her.

"What the heck are you thinking Patience?!" Ian exclaimed. "You're in no condition to press on!"

"I know but-!"

"It's true." Espurr said. "You're too injured to be fighting if it comes to that."

Goomy and Deerling nodded in agreement.

"You told me that I must face my fears head on. I don't want to be a coward." Patience said.

"I know, but even so, you mustn't push yourself. We all have our limits." Ian said. "Face your fears head on, but know when to stop."

Patience shook her head.

"No... I have to do this. It's the only way I'm going to conquer my fear and be braver than ever. If you disagree with that, let me through, I'll do this alone." Patience didn't know what was she thinking when she said that last sentence, it made her seem really foolish, tackling this by herself. She looked at Ian, who was still holding her. She couldn't tell what's going on in the mudfish Pokemon's head. But somehow, she felt confident that Ian won't let her through. She was half right.

Ian let off a sigh. "Fine, you can come with us. It's not like I have a choice anyway..."

"Thanks..." Patience said.

"Don't go wandering ahead, you're sticking with me."

"I make no promises."

"Patience..."

"Fine."

Ian turned around and nodded at the others to continue onward. He continuing holding Patience and made sure she could walk, slowly catching up with the rest of the children and continuing their journey to the depths of the Ancient Barrow.

To the lair of an enemy unknown.


	30. The Demon

"Who goes there?!" Farfetch'd said, readying his stalk.

"Woah woah woah! Mr Farfetch'd! Mr Fafetche'd! It's us!" Ian called out, hoping to he wouldn't go stalk-happy on him.

It took Fafetche'd a few seconds to realize it was his students that were right in front of him.

"Ian...? Is that you?"

"Yes! So please don't wallop me with that stalk of yours!"

Farfetche'd lowered his stalk, feeling slightly more relaxed at seeing a friendly face. But was also confused at their presence.

"What the heck are you all doing here?!" He asked. "You know that the Ancient Barrow is forbidden right? And what happened to Patience?!"

"Well... We can explain." Deerling said. She began recounting the events that had transpired that led them here, the attack at school, Patience's injuries, Pancham and Shelmet being kidnapped, and Gadget, the Pokemon whom had rescued Farfetche'd, giving chase to the perpetrators.

"Normally, I would be angry at you all not only for sneaking out from your homes, going to the school at night and unsupervised, and entering a forbidden place. But given the circumstances, I'll let this slide."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that they are safe from the consequences that would have awaited them if they were caught.

"So, what's the plan now?" Ian asked.

"Allow me to join you." Farfetche'd said. "I want to get to the bottom of this mess as much as you do. And besides, I got a score to settle."

Ian turned to face the rest of the children, their faces all said the same thing.

Why stop him?

"Alright then." Ian said. "Lead the way teacher."

"It's my responsibility as teacher to care for your wellbeing after all." Fafetche'd said, he turned around and lead the group forward, deeper into the Ancient Barrow.

He wasn't the only one who has a score to settle. Ian thought.

* * *

"Are you Ampharos? The leader of the Expedition Society?"

"Yes, that's me." Ampharos said to the rather short, long beaked Pokemon, with leaves as hands.

"Who's the other Pokemon with you?" He said, looking at the Pokemon that was next to Ampharos, a short, yellow Pokemon with a giant mouth attached to its head, a book in one hand.

"This is my second-in-command, Mawile."

"Greetings." Mawile said. "And you must be the one in charge here?"

"Yes. The name's Shiftry. It's been a real mess around here. We've been doing our best keeping the press away from the town."

Ampharos could understand why, it's yet another case of an entire town's inhabitants being turned into stone. But if word got out about this, the public is guaranteed to go into a full-scale panic. Which would be a problem he hoped wouldn't happen.

Man, I'd do anything right now for a good nap.

Judging by the position of the sun, it was around late morning, almost noon. With the Air Continent being east of the Water Continent, they were at least 6 hours ahead. While Lively Town is still the dead of night, it was shining brightly here in Pokemon Square.

"Follow me, I'll show you the Square" Shiftry said, as he led the two Expedition Society members. They approached a three-way junction. In front of them was a garden of sorts, at the center of it, a statue of two Pokemon, heads lifted high to the skies above.

"What's that for?" Ampharos asked, pointing at the statue.

"That's a statue dedicated for the rescue team that saved the world from an asteroid many years ago." Shiftry explained.

Ampharos vaguely remembered it, it happened many years ago, probably when he was still nothing more than a Mareep. News about how an asteroid was approaching the planet and how a rescue team of two Pokemon preventing it by climbing the heavens and seeking the help of a Legendary Pokemon to shoot it out of the sky. It seem too ridiculous to be true for Ampharos back then.

"Where are they now?" Mawile asked.

"Who knows? Probably traveling the world, seeking new adventures and dungeons to explore. This plot of land once stood the house of the leader of that rescue team. We got rid of it as per his request of not needing it anymore."

"I see."

"But enough with the history lessons. Let's get to why you came here."

Shiftry started walking to the right path, Ampharos and Mawile followed after him, leaving the historical site behind.

"My, that's quite the crowd." Ampharos said.

In front of them was the entrance to Pokemon Square, packed with what seemed like reporters trying to get in but was blocked by a group of Magnemites and Magnetons. Shiftry went ahead and talked with the police officers.

"Quite the crowd huh." Mawile said.

"Indeed." Ampharos said. "It's probably going to be a hassle just trying to-"

"Mr Ampharos, is that you?"

The lighthouse Pokemon heard that familiar voice coming from behind and turned around to see a crimson colored Pokemon wearing a fedora.

"Why, if it isn't Fletchinder. I'm not surprised to see you here."

"You know him sir?" Mawile asked.

"I met this reporter back when I was in Serene Village. He requested for an interview with me which I happily obliged."

"And boy was it a good one!" The ember Pokemon exclaimed. "It was a hit among the people! A closer look of the leader of the Expedition Society!"

"Why, thank you." Ampharos said.

"So what brings you here? Doing some investigating of your own?" Fletchinder asked.

"Something like that..." The lighthouse Pokemon trailed off, unsure as to tell him of their motives. "How about you?"

"Same. I've been investigating this case ever since it started happening a few months ago. My goal is to seek the truth and expose the culprit!" Fletchinder said, proudly holding his head high. Ampharos respected that, he wasn't the average news reporter Pokemon that only want to seek newsworthy stories and possibly over exaggerate it on paper. He could tell that Fletchinder was honest and really wanted to search for the truth.

This could very well help us.

"Fletchinder, would you care to help us aid in our investigation?"

Flecthinder expression immediately changed at the mention of that.

"Really?! Are you serious?!"

"Sir, are you sure about this?" Mawile asked. "He might compromise our mission."

"Call it mutual gain." He said.

Mawile kept a straight face, and decided to not to further object.

"If you say so boss." She said.

Ampharos smiled. He admired Mawile's constant loyalty towards him. Being with him since the very beginning, ever since he founded the Expedition Society. Since then, it has grown exceptionally, and he couldn't have done without the support from his friend.

Someone he could truly call a friend.

"Well then, let's head in shall we?" Ampharos said, as he approached the entrance to Pokemon Square. Gently pushing past reporters and approaching Shiftry.

"Alright." He said. "You're free to- Hold on, who's that other Pokemon with you."

Ampharos assumed he meant Fletchinder.

"Oh, he's with me." The lighthouse Pokemon replied.

"If you say so."

The Magnemites and Magentons stepped aside to allow entrance for them. They quickly paced themselves before any nosy reporter gets any bright ideas.

As the three reached the center of the town, they were greeted with a horrific sight, Pokemons, by the dozens all turned to stone, some looked like as if they were running from something, from whoever had done this.

Ampharos felt sick in his stomach, like he had just ate a bad apple. In his years of adventuring, he had never encountered such a grotesque scene. He may have read the many reports of the other incidents of Pokemon being turned into stone.

But this was reality, he was seeing it for the first time with his very own eyes, and it scares him.

* * *

"Gadget!" Ian called out.

They had stumbled into a big, empty circular room. Gadget standing in the center of the room, she looked agitated, like she knew something they didn't.

"Get back!" She howled. "We're being watched."

"B-by who?" Goomy nervously asked.

"BY ME!"

Everyone jumped in shock at the sudden unknown voice, Gadget kept still, readying herself at whatever was coming next.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU DARE ENTER MY DOMAIN?! YOU REALLY ARE IDIOTS!" The voice boomed.

"Who are you?! And what have you done to Pancham and Shelmet?!" Deerling yelled.

"YOUR FRIENDS ARE NOT IN ANY DANGER, FOR NOW! FOR I WILL HARVEST THEIR SOULS ONCE I'M DONE WITH THE REST OF YOU!"

"If it's a fight you want, it's a fight you'll get!" Farfetche'd said, twirling his stalk. Ian was surprised at how badass he was right now. Funny, never thought he would say teacher and badass in the same sentence.

"VERY WELL! I'LL GRANT YOU YOUR DEATH WISH!"

Just then, six Pokemon surrounded them, they were small, white and had a purple flame burning on their heads, like a candle. It wasn't long before a giant figure covered them in its shadow, everyone looked up to see the new threat, it immediately sent chills down everyone's spines. It had a grey body, black and red stripes coming down its body, yellow hooves and jet black wings. Gadget immediately recognized the beast.

"G-G-Giratina...?! The renegade Pokemon?!"

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"You mean, THE renegade Pokemon?! The one that came "from the other side"?" Patience asked, nervously shaking. She had heard the stories from her pops, that there was a Pokemon, one that lives in another world, that takes the naughty children and force them to do his bidding.

Was this it? Was this the demon that the villagers of Serene Village dared not to talk about?

Just then, Giratina launched a dark purple beam at Ian. Hitting him right in the face. Ian waited for the pain to arrive, but it didn't. He didn't know how to explain it, instead of a stabbing pain, it felt more like a very hard nudge, just to annoy him.

"Ian! Are you alright?!" Patience exclaimed.

"Surprisingly, no." He replied.

Patience breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and launched an Ember attack on one of the candle Pokemon, it hit right in its face, launching it back and slamming against a wall, knocking it out.

1 down, six more to go.

Deerling and Goomy were fighting against two of the candle Pokemon. They started charging towards the two children. Deerling turned around and kicked her hind legs upwards as hard as she could just as one of the Pomemon was right next to her. It was a direct hit and the candle Pokemon immediately fell. Goomy, nervous and scared, felt something building up in his body, he didn't know what it was, but he felt the urge to open his mouth to cough. As soon as he opened his mouth, a large beam emerged from his mouth. The beam, in the shape of a dragon's head, approached the candle Pokemon and consumed it in a fiery blaze. Dropping him instantly.

"Holy-! Goomy, was that a Dragon Pulse?!" Deerling exclaimed

"I-I think it was..." He said, suddenly feeling really exhausted.

Two enemies, both 50 centimeters in height, both looked like ghost types, so Swift was out of the option. Gadget could quickly scan and determine the best course of action in the middle of a battle. "Know thy enemy", Ampharos had always said, "The best offense is a good defense". She launched a Thunderbolt at one of them, but the Pokemon sidestepped and avoided the attack.

Damn.

"Do you require assistance?"

Gadget turned and saw Espurr, who began using her psychic powers and lifted the two Pokemon, making them easy targets. Gadget launched another Thunderbolt, this time hitting. The two Pokemon fell to the ground and stayed down.

"You're pretty good." Gadget praised Espurr. She showed no reaction and just stared blankly at the gleam eyes Pokemon.

What's up with this kid? Gadget thought.

Ian wasn't the best at battling, he still wasn't. His Water Gun was inaccurate and his physical moves weren't strong enough. He still needed more time getting used to. That's why he had to rely on items instead. He reached into his bag and pulled out a Paralysis Wand and waved it at the unknown Pokemon, it struck the Pokemon and froze it in place.

Perfect, now to start attacking.

He launched a Water Gun at said Pokemon and hit. Injuring said Pokemon, but not enough to knock it out.

Ian reached into his bag and took out a Blast Seed, he vaguely remembered Farfetche'd mentioning in class that you can also throw a Blast Seed at a Pokemon to deal half the damage eating a Blast Seed will do. Now all he needed was a good throw and maybe some luck.

"May I?"

Ian turned and saw Farfetche'd, he was smiling and readying his stalk. The mudfish Pokemon knew exactly what he was planning.

"Time to test that theory?"

"Yup."

Farfetche'd readied his stalk and placing it over his shoulders while Ian got ready with the Blast Seed. He mentally counted down. 3, 2, 1! He threw the Blast Seed up into the air, right above Farfetche'd. Just at it reached to his level, he swung his stalk as hard as he could and hit the Blast Seed, launching it towards the paralyzed Pokemon, the added force from the stalk increased the velocity of the Blast Seed, making it hurt a lot more. The Pokemon fell to the ground.

"Oh yeah! I still got it!" Farfetche'd exclaimed, giving the mudfish Pomemon a thumbs up.

Seriously. Ian thought. Bad. Ass.

With the six Pokemons down for the count, that only leaves the big bad himself. Who was shocked at how quickly they had taken out his minions.

"I ADMIT YOUR IMPRESSIVE SKILLS AT TAKING OUT MY MINIONS." He said. "BUT YOU WILL NOT HAVE THE SAME TIME WITH-!"

Just then, he felt something hit him, and suddenly he couldn't move his body, no matter how much he tried.

"WHAT THE-?! WHY CAN'T I MOVE?!"

"I've change your ability." Ian said, holding a wand in his hands. "This right here is a Truant Wand, which if you know makes you unable to move after attacking, and since you've already attacked just now, you're not going anyway." He smirked confidently.

"NO! NO! NO! NO!" Giratina yelled.

Ian, Patience, Deerling, Goomy, Espurr, Gadget and Farfetche'd lined up together, preparing themselves for an Alliance attack, ready to finish this once and for all.

"Everyone ready?" Ian asked.

"READY!" The rest yelled.

"3!"

"2!"

"1!"

Everyone launched their projectile attacks at Giratina, with their combined attacks, it would defeat him and end this. The projectiles slowly merged into one, multi colored beam and struck Giratina, causing a massive explosion. A cloud of smoke covered the room, despite everyone unable to see if it had taken him down, they doubts were clear when they heard a loud thud, shaking the ground. When the smoke had cleared, Giratina laid on the ground, the battle had been won, victory was theirs.

"W-we did it...!" Goomy whispered. "We actually did it!"

Everyone roared in excitement at their victory, Deerling was jumping for joy, Goomy was dancing and Patience was hugging everyone like a very clingy Ursaring, which Ian nearly suffocated when it was his turn.

"All right, "Giratina", show your true self." Gadget demanded.

"W-what are you talking about?" Ian asked.

"This cannot be the true Giratina, why would a Legendary Pokemon like itself require the help of doc other Pokemons?"

Everyone couldn't argue with that logic, it was rather odd.

"N-NO! I'M GIRATINA! MASTER OF DARKNESS! RULER OF THE DISTORTION WORLD. I'M-!"

"That's enough Solosis." A rather squeaky voice said.

Everyone turned in the direction of the voice and it turned out to be one of the candle Pokemon, who had got up and approached the Giratina.

"They don't seem to be fooled. Just stop this already."

"B-BUT LITWICK, I WAS-!"

"You did a good job, I'm proud of you."

Ian could have sworn he heard Giratina starting sniffing. Was it... crying? The giant beast disintegrated into thin air, and taken its place looked like a floating bubble with eyes, tears streaming down his face.

"I tried my best Litwick!" He said, still crying uncontrollably.

"Wha...? What is the meaning of this...?!" Patience asked.

The five other Litwicks gathered around their crying friend, and facing them.

"We... can explain." One of the Litwicks said.

"You damn well better." Ian said, confused and impatient.

"You see, we were a bunch of "scarers". Sometimes Pokemon want a good fright, some excitement in their lives, so they come to our place, a lone house by the outskirts of the village to be scared out of their wits. It was a family business our parents had been running for such a long time. Funny, is it not? That Pokemon are willing to be scared just for the fun of it."

"But something terrible happened." Another Litwick continued. "One day, the village caught fire and was burned to the ground, and our family had been accused, claiming our family had enough with the villagers requests and decided to burn the village down out of spite. Our parents, ashamed of such accusations, disappeared the next morning, never to be seen again."

"Oh my..." Patience said, Ian could hear the sympathy in her voice.

"In the end, we were exiled from the village, left to wonder on our own. On our travels, we met Solosis, who had no purpose in life and wanted to help us out, how could we say no?"

"We haven't told you this, but us Litwicks? We don't eat food, our source of energy comes from the fear of other people. The more we scare, the bigger our flames are above our heads, the healthier we are."

It was all starting to make sense now. Ian thought to himself.

"But then why resort to kidnapping? You DO realize that's illegal right?" Deerling asked.

"That wasn't very nice." Farfetche'd said.

"We're sorry... We just thought we tried something different rather than our usual scares, guess that didn't work out."

"I think I've heard enough." Gadget said. "I'm taking you all in. You're going to be in jail for a very, very long time."

"We understand." Litwick said, feeling guilty about the whole ordeal. "What we've done cannot be forgiven, we're prepared to face the-"

"No, let them go."

Everyone turned to see Patience, who had stepped up and stood next to Gadget.

"Are you out of your mind?! They've committed multiple crimes and should be treated like any ordinary criminal! There are no exceptions!" Gadget yelled. "And look at what they done to you! Don't you think it's only right if you get payback?!"

"They're just kids!" Patience yelled back. "And the fact that they're only source of life is by scaring other people. If we throw them in jail, and they start to get weaker and weaker until they..." Patience trailed off, she couldn't bring herself to say that word. She hoped Gadget knew what she meant. "Wouldn't that make us just as bad as criminals? We'll be KILLING them! Even the worst of criminals deserve mercy."

Everyone in the room remained quiet. Ian was surprised to see the fire fox Pokemon standing up to help them. It seemed so... sudden.

"I support that idea." He said. To everyone's surprise. "As a friend, I will stand by her no matter the outcome."

"Ian..." Patience said.

"Me too." Deerling said. "They have a good reason for doing what they did, they can continue to do what they want, just as long as it doesn't involve a stunt like this again."

"Same here." Goomy said. "I may have been scared before, but now I'm not after hearing that sad story!"

"Revenge must never be the way." Farfetche'd said. "It only corrupts a Pokemon into seeing things negatively. Despite everything that has happened, I will forgive them and allow them to stay."

"I guess I'll go with that as well." Espurr said. "Since the majority is winning."

Gadget remained silent before finally giving her answer.

"Bah! Have it your way..." She said.

The Litwicks and Solosis looked at them in surprise and cheered happily, to Gadget's disgust.

"I-I cannot thank you enough!" Litwick said to Patience, shaking her hand.

"We would like to give you something as a token of our appreciation!"

One of the other Litwicks approached her and took out something. It was small, circular object, almost like a marble. It was clear, and had a strange symbol inside of it.

A double helix.

"What is this thing?" Patience asked, inspecting her new gift. The ball faintly glowed when it came into contact with her hand.

"We're not sure." Solosis replied. "We found it here when we first arrived here. Who knows? Perhaps one day you might find out the secret behind it?"

Patience placed the object into her bag.

"Promise two things." She said. "You can scare the villagers, but only to a small degree, no kidnappings or any other reckless stunts like this.

The seven Pokemon nodded.

"And secondly, help out the villagers every now and then. At least do some good in life and help a Pokemon in need!"

"We promise!" Litwick and Solosis said.

"Then it is settled then. The case of the ghosts of Serene Village is closed!" Deerling said.

"Oh yeah, and also give us back our friends." Patience suddenly remembered.

"Oh right, your friends." Solosis laughed nervously. "Here you go."

Just then, in a blink of an eye. Pancham and Shelmet appeared before them, they laid on the ground, they looked like they were sleeping.

"I used hypnosis of them to stop them from fussing around so much." Solosis explained. "Don't worry, when they wake up, they would think it was all just a bad dream."

Everyone let out a breath of relief, everyone was safe now. The case has been solved, there will be no more hauntings, and Pokemon can finally sleep peacefully at night now.

It has been one hell of an adventure. Ian thought.


	31. Aftermath

"Ian, Ian wake up!" Nuzleaf ordered. The mudfish Pokemon groaned, struggling to get out from bed.

"Can someone just turn off the sun?" He weakly said. "I want to go back to sleep."

"It's almost noon! Did you not get a wink of sleep or something?"

"Something like that..."

It had only been a few hours since Ian and the others solved the mystery of the ghosts hauntings in Serene Village. The memories of what had happened were still fresh in his mind.

* * *

"Oh thank Lord almighty! Fresh air!" Farfetche'd exclaimed, squatting and kissing the ground.

Ian exited Ancient Barrow to be greeted with a gust of wind blowing into his face. He noticed a faint of blue looming over the horizon. It was almost dawn.

Gadget, who was carrying both Pancham and Shelmet came out next, immediately placing the two Pokemon on the ground and left, not even saying a goodbye.

I guess she was still upset over Patience's decision. Ian thought.

The rest of the children came out shortly after. Patience lagging behind.

"You all right?" Ian asked.

"Not sure how I'm going to explain to my Pops about all the bandages, but yeah." She said.

"One step at a time."

Everyone gathered around Pancham and Shelmet and tried to wake them up, they couldn't exactly leave them right next to the entrance of a forbidden place. After multiple attempts of the group shaking them awake, Ian got fed up and decided to launch a Water Gun on their faces, waking them up instantly. Pancham and Shelmet coughed and gasped for air, and immediately looked at the only water type among them.

"What the heck Ian?!" He exclaimed. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"That was a possibility, but I'm a good kid." He said sarcastically.

"W-where are we...?" Shelmet asked. ""What happened? I remembered being snatched by someone and then blacking out."

"And I remembered blocking an attack that was coming for... Deerling." Pancham said, looking at the deer Pokemon, who was surprised. She recalled closing her eyes when one of the "dark shadows" launched something at her, and Pancham's voice. He had jump in to take the blow for her. Although no harm is technically done now that they know who the ghosts were but she digressed.

"That's... very nice of you, Pancham." She said, half sincere and half humoring the panda Pokemon.

Pancham said nothing and looked away, Deerling could've sworn she saw his face turn slightly red.

The group explained to Pancham and Shelmet about what had happened, Patience's injury, the journey into Ancient Barrow, a battle with the ghosts and their true identity.

"Wow, what a disappointment." Shelmet said. "It was nothing more than a bunch of kids that took a prank too far."

"There's always rational explanation to everything." Patience said.

Wait, wasn't I the one who said that? Ian thought.

"Anyway, I think all of you should get back home." Farfetche'd said. "The sun's almost up."

"What about you Mr Farfetche'd?" Espurr asked. "Wouldn't it be a surprise for you to just come back like nothing had happened?"

"Ah, I'll find a way to explain it to the villagers." He said. "This whole thing will stay between us, alright?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Good, then off you go then, you must all be really tired."

With that, everyone went their separate ways, going back to their homes to crash into their beds after a long night. Ian and Patience went back together back to their homes. They went around to the back of Ian's house, where he had left from.

"So, see you "tomorrow" then." Ian said.

"Yeah, that's if we don't get caught shortly afterwards." Patience said, slightly scoffing.

"Listen, after what happened to you today, I think we should really look out for each other more often."

"Aw, the calm and collected Ian is getting soft?" Patience teased.

As much as he hate to admit, but she was right. Ever since meeting Patience, he noticed that he cares more of those around him. Even when they bring extra teammates on expeditions, their wellbeing was just as important. He assumed it was because of Patience, who treated him with kindness when he first arrived here. Now he was returning the favor, by looking out for her, protecting her.

Caring for her.

"I guess I am." He finally said, playfully nudging the fire fox Pokemon. "There has to be someone who has to stop you when you get ahead of yourself right?"

Patiecne let out a slight chuckle. "I hear ya." She said. "We should get some rest now. I'm bushed."

Patience turned around and started making her way back to her house, not before turning back at Ian and waved him goodbye, which Ian happily retuned the gesture. When the fire fox disappeared from sight, Ian climbed back into the house through the open window and into his room, he picked up the window grill and placed it back as best he could hoping Nuzleaf wouldn't notice it. He placed his bag down and crash right into his bed, immediately falling asleep.

Sleep had never felt this amazing.

* * *

Entry #7

What a night, solving a mystery, patching up Patience and a whole lot of shenanigans in between.

I stand by Patience decision in forgiving the Litwicks and Solosis, they were not doing it with evil intentions, it's just how their made to be.

Doesn't change the fact that I'm bloody tired, I can't write for five seconds without my handwriting getting sloppy. Oh well, maybe a good brunch and some exploration should do the trick.

Ian closed his journal and placed it in his bag. He got up and went into the next room to have brunch, Nuzleaf sitting there, having already eaten long ago.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked. "You look really tired."

He was right, but he might as well deal with it and start the day.

"Yeah." He said. "I'm alright."

"If you say so."

After finishing his meal, he got his bag and waved Nuzleaf goodbye. He exited to be greeted with a bright, sunny noon. He noticed the grass that he was stepping on was still wet from last night's rain.

I wonder how's Patience doing.

The mudfish Pokemon went to Patience's house, it was then he voices coming from the house.

"Not clean enough!" Carracosta yelled.

"But I scrubbed it like a million times now!" Patience said.

"Then why do I see dirty spots here, here and here?!"

Patience grunted loudly, to the annoyance of Carracosta.

"That doesn't sound good." Ian said. Just then, he noticed a piece of paper and an apple lying on the ground, placed by a window. Ian grabbed the piece of paper and began reading it. It was from Patience.

"Hey Ian, I hate to say this but I got caught. Pops saw me just as I was climbing back into my room. Let's just say things did not go well."

"Well that explains it." Ian said, even though he was disappointed Patience would probably not be joining up with him for expeditions. He was going to have to find someone else. He continued reading.

"I left a piece of apple along with this paper. I'm sure you must still be exhausted, I know I am. "An apple a day keeps the Audino away"!

Patience"

Ian couldn't help but smile at that Pokemon idiom. It just seemed funny that she used Audino instead of doctor. He placed the note and apple into the bag, and decide to head out, expeditions aren't going to be done by themselves after all.

"So Patience was the only one who got caught huh?" Deerling said.

Everyone had gathered at top of the hill with the big tree, wanting to discuss the aftermath of last night.

"I'm surprised all of us managed to sneak back into our homes no problem." Pancham said.

"I thought I was going to be a goner!" Goomy exclaimed, I always seem to make the loudest of noises when walking despite not having legs."

"So uh, what now?" Shelmet asked.

"Since Patience is not available, I guess Ian might want us to go with him on his expeditions." Espurr said.

Everyone turned to look at the mudfish Pokemon. He looked at everyone in silence for a few seconds, before reaching into his bag and taking out his Expedition Gadget, he turned it on and a large holographic image of the connected Pokemons appeared.

"Alright, who's up for a little dungeon exploring?" He said.


	32. All Quiet On The Homefront

"Good job everyone! All in the days work for The Hydroflames!" Ian exclaimed. He turned around to face his exhausted classmates, who had just reached the gates of Serene Village. Everyone collapsed to the ground, except for Espurr.

"So tired..." Deerling said.

"Can't feel my legs..." Goomy said.

But you don't even have legs. Ian thought.

"Why didn't you tell us that we'll be fighting a Salamence?!" Pancham asked.

"You never asked." Ian said, much to the panda Pokemon's annoyance.

It wasn't actually such a difficult mission with the six of them. It's just that everyone was taken by surprise by the intimidating sight of a dragon Pokemon that everyone started panicking, unsure as to what to do. After Ian had reorientated everyone while dodging Dragon Pulses left and right, they managed to take down the Pokemon.

"But all things considered, it was actually pretty fun!" Espurr said.

Everyone looked at her with a confused expression, but remained silent.

Everyone got up and decided to go their separate ways, waving the mudfish goodbye and heading home to end the day, leaving the mudfish Pokemon in the village plaza. The sun had already begun to set, rays of sunlight still loom over the horizon, but still a few more hours before he had to be back home.

Perfect, I sill have time.

He started jogging towards Patience house, hoping that Carracosta had already let her go. When he arrived at Patience's house, he approached the door and tried listening in.

"There! I'm finally finished!" Patience exclaimed. "Can I go out now?"

"Hmm, sloppy work here, sloppy work there." Carracosta said. "But I'll let it slide, fine you can go out. But don't stay out for too late or I'll make you clean the village!"

"All right Pops! See you later!" The fire fox Pokemon happily exclaimed.

Ian didn't even notice Patience running out quickly and stopping when she saw him by the doorway.

"How long have you been there?" Patience asked.

"Not long. Just wanted to see if you were already done." Ian replied. Upon closer examination, he noticed that the fire fox Pokemon was no longer in bandages and look much better than she was yesterday.

"I see you're looking better." He said.

"Yup. Pops gave me a few Sitrus Berries to heal my injuries. Boy, it sure works miracles!"

Ian mentally breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she was alright.

"So what do you want to do now?" Patience asked. "I'm pretty sure it's too late to play or anything."

"Don't worry, I have just the thing to do. Follow me."

Ian ran off and Patience followed shortly, unsure as to where he was going. Ian had been planning to do this for quite awhile now, and after what happened yesterday, there was no better time than this.

* * *

"Here you go kids, two Serene Village specialty tea" Kangaskhan said, placing two cups on the table.

"Thank you Kangaskhan." Ian said, grabbing the cup and taking a sip. It tasted slightly sweet and it was warm, just how he liked it.

Ian had took Patience to the Café Connection for a drink. "Relax." He had said to Patience. "Sit down, enjoy a drink and chat.

There were a few other Pokemon besides them in the café, they were all chatting loudly and laughing, all having a fun time.

"Did you kids hear? They found Mr Farfetche'd!" Kangaskhan said.

Ian looked at Patience awkwardly, unsure at how to respond to that.

"Is that so?" Ian said. "How was he found?"

"Well... No one actually found him, someone just saw him coming out of his house this morning, as if nothing had happened."

"Did he explain why he had disappeared?" Patience asked.

"He said the ghosts that had been haunting the village had been nothing more than wild Pokemon playing pranks, pretty anticlimactic but I'm glad this problem has been finally solved."

Ian wanted to tell her so bad about what really happened, about the Litwicks, their motives, everything. But he had made a promise with Farfetche'd, his classmates and especially Patience, no one but them will ever know the truth.

"By the way, something funny just happened to me just now." Kangaskhan said. "I was trying to find some Oran Berries that I had misplaced but i suddenly found them placed neatly on my counter. Funny huh?"

"Yeah... It is." Ian said, trying his best to look uninterested on the subject.

At least they kept their word.

"Well, I'm going to be closing up soon. So you kids better finish up and head back!" Kangaskhan said, as she left the two Pokemon be and attended to her other customers.

"Ain't that a coincidence." Ian said.

"I'm glad they are keeping their promise on helping people as well." Patience said, sipping her tea.

Ian stared at her as she continued drinking. He can't help but notice Patience has been acting different, in a good way, since yesterday. He noticed that the fire fox Pokemon seemed more... matured, like yesterdays incident had changed her views on certain things. Sure she might still be playful and hyperactive like any kid would be, it felt like she was taking her first steps into being responsible for her actions.

"Hey! Earth to Ian? What's with the look?"

Ian snapped back into reality and realized he had been daydreaming.

"Oh uh, sorry about that, was just thinking about a few things."

"Right..." She said, unwilling to push this further.

"I just realized, it's been almost half a month since we met." Ian said.

"Is that so? Wow, time sure flies huh?" Patience said.

"It felt like it was only yesterday that I met this energetic Fennekin who seemed really annoying at first."

"Hey!" Patience reached over the table and lightly punched the mudfish Pokemon, causing him to laugh. "I didn't know that at first that this Mudkip could be such a jerk."

"Heh, looks can be deceiving eh?" He said. "But no hard feelings, I don't know where I would be without you."

"Likewise, "bestie"." She said, softly giggling.

Ian simply smiled at that remark. He felt comfortable enough to call Patience his best friend as well, even though they've only known each other for a month. He raised his cup towards Patience.

"To an everlasting friendship." He toasted.

Patience, confused at first grabbed her cup at raised it as well.

"May we continue to not only be partners in crime, but be friends forever!"

The two then drank their tea and finished it, their lips burned from the warmth of the tea, but it was worth it. The two smiled at each other and laugh.

Ian wouldn't have it any other way.


	33. Revelation Mountain

"Hit them hard, knock them down, ask questions later."

-Motto of Team Crimson, the Rescue Team Federation's top outlaw hunting team

* * *

Entry #8

Another day, another expedition. It seems things have gotten better now. The village is back to its usual, peaceful self again. With that said, it's business as usual for The Hydroflames, we got a request to help out a Pokemom named Emolga find his lost friend Dunsparce, shouldn't be a problem.

* * *

"Hey Ian! What's taking so long?"

Patience yelled.

Ian turned and immediately placed his journal back into his bag, running over towards the fire fox Pokemon who was standing right next to the Deposit Box.

"All ready?" He asked.

"Yup. Everything seems accounted for, time to hit the road!"

"Pssst! Hey Ian! Patience!"

The two Pokemon turned to the source of the voice and saw Nuzleaf, who was a few meters from them.

"What's up Nuzleaf? Why are you acting all sneaky?" Ian asked.

Nuzleaf quickly shushed the mudfish Pokemon, much to his surprise.

"Let's go back to the house and I'll explain." He said, heading off.

Ian and Patience looked at each other in confusion but decide to follow wily Pokemon.

Guess Emolga is going to have to wait then.

* * *

"Real sorry about interrupting your business. But this has been itching me for quite awhile now." Nuzleaf explained, sitting down at the table with Ian and Patience.

"So what's this about Nuzleaf?" Patience asked.

Nuzleaf cleared his throat before explaining his reason.

"You're familiar with Revelation Mountain right?"

Patience nodded. "It's known as a sacred mountain among the villagers. Though I'm not sure why though."

This was the first time Ian had heard of this. Which left him confused.

"Revelation Mountain? What's that?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that you're not from here, sorry about that." Nuzleaf said. "Just a few kilometres away from Serene Village, there is a mountain that towers over the village. That mountain is called Revelation Mountain. While the history of whether anyone ever ventured to the peak of the mountain, but ever since then it is considered a law to never go to Revelation Mountain."

"So what's your point?" Ian asked.

"That's what's bugging me." Nuzleaf said. "I'm really curious as to WHY this is so. Why Revelation Mountain is restricted to outsiders and villagers alike."

Ian felt like he knew where this was going, and so did Patience.

"That's why I want to climb Revelation Mountain, to see what's up there."

The room went silent for a good few minutes before Ian decided to give his opinion.

"No offence Nuzleaf, but that has got to be the stupidest idea I've ever heard."

"I have to agree." Patience said. "Why would you want to risk yourself just to climb Revelation Mountain?"

"Well... I uh-" Nuzleaf was at a lost of words, sweat dripping of his head. Just then, his expression changed, like he suddenly remembered something. "Ah! I remember now! I've heard of this story about how a human once came down from Revelation Mountain a long time ago, I think that maybe climbing up Revelation Mountain could probably explain Ian's reason of coming here!"

Ian wasn't sure if he had heard him right, but he heard him mention "human". Patience was just a surprised.

"What?!" Ian and Patience both said. "B-but I've never heard of such a story before..." Patience said.

"It's a very uncommon story told to children. Ask Carracosta, I'm sure he knows about it." Nuzleaf replied.

Patience just remained silent, not sure what else to say. Ian too, was pretty surprised at the sudden revelation, was it really true? There were more humans who came to this world? Could whatever that was on top Revelation Mountain possibly explain why he had come to this world? There's only one way to find out.

"Fine, I'll go." He said.

"Are you serious Ian?! Do you realize that we can into a world of trouble for this?! And after what happened-" She stopped herself from continuing, realizing that Nuzleaf does not know about it.

"After what happened?" Nuzleaf asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, just something when we were out exploring." Ian lied.

The wily Pokemon looked at Ian in suspicion, but ultimately decided not to press further and just shrug it off.

"If whatever that's up on that mountain could possibly tell me the reason why I'm here or who I was as a human, I'm willing to take that chance." Ian said

Patience simply sighed at the mudfish Pokemon's sudden out of character foolishness, but she could somewhat understand. If she was a human turned Pokemon with no memories of who she is, she would jump at the first mention of a possible link to it.

"Fine." She said. "I'll go as well..."

"Great!" Nuzleaf said. "I'll meet you two at the gates of the village in an hour. There is something I need to take care first before we go."

The wily Pokemon got up and left the house, leaving the two Pokemon to themselves, the air around them suddenly felt tense, when Ian finally broke the silence.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." Ian said. "This is something I can handle my-"

"No, I'm coming with you." Patience said. "After what you done for me back at the Ancient Barrow. I feel like I owe you one, for standing by my side. It's only appropriate if I returned the gesture."

Ian looked at the fire fox Pokemon in surprise, chuckling shortly afterwards.

"Alright then, let's just hope Emolga is a patient Pokemon and Dunsparce doesn't get himself into an even bigger situation."

* * *

A/N: Hey there everyone, just dropping by to ask if anyone here is an artist of sorts? The reason I'm asking this is because I'm looking for someone to help me draw the covers of my stories, including this one. I think it's important for a story to have an interesting cover to intise someone into reading it.

If there's anyone who's willing to lend a hand to someone who can't draw for the life of him. Send me a message and we can work things out. I'll credit you for the artwork. With that said, this is Ikcactehr signing off.


	34. Those Who Cannot Rember The Past

From the Directorial Board of the Rescue Team Federation to all Rescue Team Federation members.

Details regarding the incident of Pokemon turning into stone in Pokemon Square are classified and not to be disclosed to the public.

An investigation team from the Expedition Society of the Water Continent have been sent to investigate the situation.

All members are to remain on standby until further orders are given.

* * *

"There it is, the entrance to Revelation Mountain." Nuzleaf said.

Ian and Patience leaned over and saw a lone gate, fences few meters tall, unless it was a Pokemon that could fly, no one was going to be able to climb that fence.

"What, no sentries?" Ian asked. "You would think there would be a guard up here or something for such a sacred place."

"There was." Nuzleaf said. "Hippopotas was supposed to be on watch today, but I told him there was a mix up on the list and it was my turn, it's not like he was interested in doing his job anyway."

Ian scoffed at the wily Pokemon's method, even he was impressed that for a nice Pokemon like Nuzleaf knew a thing or two about deceiving. The three Pokemon approached the gate and Nuzleaf pushed the door opened, ahead of them laid an incline that steadily went uphill.

Let's hope my little legs can handle this climb. Ian thought.

"Another day without a lead." Fletchinder mumbled, crashing into his bed in exhaustion.

Ampharos and Mawile were looking at the board they had set up that showed the map of Pokemon Square, red dots littered the map, indicating placement of Pokemon's that had been turned to stone. The Rescue Team Federation were kind enough to provide the three of them with accommodations, a house just by the outskirts of the town.

"Why would someone do this?" Mawile asked. "What reason would they have to turn Pokemon into stone?"

"I highly doubt that this is the work of just one person..." Ampharos said.

Fletchinder and Mawile looked at the lighthouse Pokemon in surprise.

"Are you serious?! How can you be so sure?" Fletchinder asked.

Ampharos left the room for awhile and came back with a piece of paper in hand. It only took a few seconds for Mawile and Flecthinder to notice that it was the sketch of Team Orion in stone. He pinned the paper onto the board, right next to the map. He took out his Expedition Gadget as well and a holographic image of the world map appeared in front of them.

"If we are to believe our culprit came from the Water Continent, that would mean that he had to travel by sea south-eastwards to the Grass Continent." Ampharos said, pointing at the map. "It would take at least four days minimum to travel inland and reach Foggy Forest to turn Team Orion into stone. Then, he either continued travelling towards the east coast or headed back to where he started, both would take another four days to reach, and it was going to take a day to travel to the Air Continent, assuming he dropped off at Barem Town just like us, another three days to reach Pokemon Square. Now, when did Team Orion's incident occur?"

"Almost two weeks ag- oh! I get it now!" Flecthinder said in disbelief.

"Precisely, there's a clear contradiction between the length between the two incidents and how long it would actually take for them to get there. My theory? This isn't a one Pokemon job."

"But what if our culprit could fly? Or could run or swim at great speed?" Mawile suggested.

"That's why it's only a theory." Ampharos replied. "There're a lot of things we don't know about here."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, which surprised everyone because who would visit them at such a late hour. Ampharos went and opened the door and was a Pelipper, holding an envelope in hand.

"Delivery for uh... Ampharos?" Pelipper said.

"Yes, that would be me. From whom exactly?"

"Didn't have a name, it was left at our office with the instruction of sending it to you."

Confused, Ampharos reluctantly took the letter, thanked Pelipper and closed the door.

"What was that about?" Flecthinder asked.

"An envelope, from an anonymous sender." He replied.

"Open it then." Mawile said.

Ampharos slowly opened the envelope, inside was only a piece of folded paper, a letter. He unfold the paper and began examining the contents. His expression changed, and he felt a chill running down his spine.

"What is it?" Flecthinder nervously asked.

"Hello Expedition Society," he read the letter. "I hope you're enjoying the Air Continent, and that Pokemon Square is a sight to see."

"What...?!" Mawile said.

"The screams of the Pokemon before I turned them into stone, oh how enjoying, although Team Orion's demise was disappointing, it really did send a message. I have long left the Air Continent, but don't worry, I'll give you a little hint as to where I am right now: Where you least expected it. I'll give you two weeks, before I strike again. Come find me, if you dare.

Grim Reaper"

The whole room went quiet, everyone felt like as if there was a lump in their throats, the Reaper had called.

And he was ready to strike again.

* * *

Gadget sat quietly at her table in the Café Connection. She was scanning through a folder delivered to her by of her "associates". It was a detailed report of yet another incident of Pokemon being turned into stone, this time in a settlement in the Air Continent called Pokemon Square.

"The horrific discovery was first reported when a travelling Pokemon arrived to find its inhabitants turned to stone." Gadget said to herself. She placed the folder down took a bite at her food she had ordered but didn't had the time to eat. Gadget lifted her head and noticed sitting at the table across from hers was Roselia, happily eating with her daughter, Budew. The sight of them made her envious, how different things would have been if they were still with her? She would still be happy, and not as naive as she was now.

We love you, and we'll always be with you.

Damnit get a hold of yourself Gadget! Stay focus on the reason you're doing this. She shoved those memories back into her mind and continued reading the report. Suddenly, something written in the report caught her eye.

"The Expedition Society has been called for assistance in investigating the incident." was written on the report.

Gadget's eyes widened, why was the Expedition Society called to investigate am international issue? Did Ampharos mentioned that they were investigating the turning to stone incidents? She closed the folder and sighed, she couldn't believe she was doing this, but she needed Ampharos's help. She had hit a dead end, and she has been in this village long enough.

It was time to head back to the Expedition Society.

* * *

Three Magnemites, two Poliwraths and two Beedrills stood by the gate. There was no way they were getting through.

"Looks like we hit a dead end." Nuzleaf said. "We can't continue any further."

Nuzleaf, Ian and Patience had been climbing for quite some time now when they discovered there was yet another gate blocking their path. This time with a lot of Pokemon guarding it. They were seriously determined with protecting whatever was at the peak.

"I guess we have no choice but to go back." Patience said.

"Yeah, I'm real sorry for bringing you up here for nothing." Nuzleaf said.

"It's alright." Ian said. "It was good exercise anyway. Let's head down before anyone finds us."

Nuzleaf nodded and started making his way down, Patience followed shortly after. Ian was about to head off when he noticed something in the corner of his eye, something was sticking out of the ground. The mudfish Pokemon approached the object and examined it, it looked like an oddly shaped rock. He pulled it out of the ground with little effort. It was about 6 centimetres in length, it looked like it was part of a much bigger rock. Ian noticed there was something else underneath the layer of dirt it was covered in. He wiped part of the dirt off and soon found out there were words engraved in it, it seemed to spell out something. He wiped the rest of it off and discovered what was written on the rock.

"Those who cannot remember the past, are doomed to repeat it."

Ian was confused, not because of the words that were written on the rock. But rather why. Why was the rock here in the first place, was it a message? A warning to trespassers who dared enter this sacred mountain? He didn't have the foggiest of idea.

"Ian! Hurry up will ya? Don't be such a Slowpoke!" Patience quietly called out.

Ian was knocked back into reality when he heard the fire fox Pokemon called out to him. He quickly placed the rock into his bag, got up and ran to catch up with the others.

Something tells me this wouldn't be the last time I'll be coming to this mountain. Ian thought.


	35. Imminent Threat

Ian woke up to the sound of screaming. Confused and disoriented, he got out of his bed and reached to where he usually leaves his bag, but it wasn't there.

That's weird, where did my bag go? Ian thought. No one could have possibly taken it without him noticing. Screw it, there were more important matters at hand.

He left his room and discovered that Nuzleaf was nowhere to be found. No letter, no trace. Nothing. Ian began to suspect something was wrong, very wrong. He couldn't shake this strange feeling. A feeling of familiarity.

Why do have the sense of déjà vu? Ian thought. Is this somehow involved with my past human life?

Realising that sitting around and wondering wasn't going to answer his questions. Ian decided to leave the house and try to find Patience, if there's one thing he wouldn't want to be right now, is to be alone and without his partner. When he stepped outside, he felt a chill run down his spine. The sky was blood red and he didn't know why.

"What the hell is going on...?!" Ian said to himself, now more concerned than ever. He quickly rushed over to Patience's house, hoping to find the fire fox Pokemon there. He tried opening the door to her house, but it was locked. No matter how many times he tried pushing and pulling the door, the results were futile. What other place he knew that he could find Patience?

The hill with the big tree... Of course!

Ian went into a dash, wanting to know what was going on. His mind still racing with questions. What happened? Where did everyone go? Why was the sky red? The questions only made him even more unsettled.

When he arrived at the big tree, he saw Patience, but not in a state he was expecting. She was sitting down, her face buried in her own fur, as if she was crying. Ian nervously approached the fire fox Pokemon and reached out for her.

"Patience...?" He called out, turning the fire fox Pokemon to face him. What he saw horrified him.

Patience pupils were completely white, her mouth hanged opened, her head twitching uncontrollably. Ian felt sick in his stomach, he could feel the insides of his body mushing together as if into a pile of goop.

"YOu CaNNot eScaPE yoUR pAsT iAn!" "Patience" said.

Ian wanted to scream, but nothing came out. His whole body froze in place and he couldn't run away as the demonic looking Patience approached him, grabbed him by the shoulders and stared at him with her dead, white eyes. Ian screamed as loud as he could, for the first time in his life.

He felt scared, and hopeless.

* * *

Ian jumped out of bed breathing heavily, his whole body was sweating and shaking.

It was just a dream..., it was just a dream...

"What in tarnations is going on?!" Nuzleaf asked, rushing into the mudfish Pokemon's room. When he saw the terrified and shaking Ian, he quickly went up to him and have him a reassuring hug.

"It was just a dream, it was just a dream..." Ian kept repeating, still traumatised by what he saw.

"Everything's alright now." Nuzleaf reassured. "You just had a real bad dream, that's all."

After a few minutes, Ian finally calmed down and sat with Nuzleaf, explaining what he had saw in his dream.

"Oh my...! That sure gave me the jitters!" He said. "But like I said, it's only a dream, you should forget about it and move on."

"Yeah... I guess you're right." Ian replied.

After having his breakfast, Ian got his bag and waved Nuzleaf goodbye and left to begin the day. When he was outside, Patience was already waiting for him, happily smiling.

"Good morning Ia-!" Patience was interrupted with Ian suddenly hugging her, taking the fire fox Pokemon by surprise.

The mudfish Pokemon gripped Patience tighter, not wanting to let go. He still felt scared, but the warmth of Patience's fur calmed him down.

"Um, what's this about?" Patience asked, confused.

Ian released her and gave Patience an awkward stare, unsure as to how to respond.

"I- uh was just feeling a little worked up." Ian said. "I feel much calmer now, thanks."

"You're... welcome...?" Patience said, giving Ian a weird expression. He continued hugging for a few more second before releasing Patience.

"Well, let's get to work then." Ian said.

"Wait, before that there's something you need to know." Patience said.

"About what?"

Patience ushered Ian to followed her, which he complied. They walked a few meters away from their house, before Patience stopped and turned around.

"Remember when Nuzleaf told us about that story about how a human came down from Revelation Mountain?" She asked.

"What about it?"

"Well, I asked my pops about the story and he gave me a weird expression, saying he has not heard of such a thing."

"Nuzleaf was lying." Ian deduced.

"But why though? Why did he lie to us about what was at Revelation Mountain?"

Ian couldn't give an answer, he was just as lost in the woods with this. Did Nuzleaf have a hidden motive of wanting to climb the sacred mountain? If so, what and why? He might have to confront Nuzleaf on the matter tonight.

"How can you be so sure?" A voice said.

"I clearly saw them eyeing on her!"

Ian and Patience turned to the source and decided to investigate.

"I'll ask Nuzleaf about it tonight." Ian said.

"Alright then." Patience replied.

* * *

Ian and Patience noticed that the voices they heard were of Roselia and Raticate, who were standing by the crossroad that lead to the village plaza.

"What's going on here?" Ian asked.

"Oh, good morning, Ian and Patience." Roselia greeted. "Lastly there has been these strange Pokemon lurking around the outskirts of town."

"Three of them actually." Raticate added. "They looked really suspicious."

"What did they do?" Patience asked.

"I was walking the other day with my Budew when the three of them approached her and started looking at her, as if they were looking for someone."

Wait, could it be...? Ian thought.

"W-what did they look like?" Ian asked, hoping the three Pokemon weren't who he thought.

"Well, they were small, brown in colour and they float. They also seem to communicate by flashing their lights on their hands at each other." Roselia said.

Ian's blood froze at the mention of the flashing lights, there was only one Pokemon he knew as of recent that matched that description.

Beheeyem, they had found him.

"Well, you kids better be careful when you go outside the village." Raticate said, as he and Roselia left to their normal routines, leaving Ian and Patience to themselves. Ian was still shocked at the revelation of the Beheeyem's returning, how did they manage to track him down? Have they been searching for me ever since that encounter when I first woke up in this world?

"Ian? Ian!" Patience called out, snapping the mudfish Pokemon back into reality. "What's up with you today? You've been acting really weird."

"We need to talk, now."

* * *

"What?!" Patience yelled. "Those Pokemon that Roselia mentioned attacked you before you first arrived here?!"

"Yeah." Ian replied. "I didn't know why they attacked me and Nuzleaf, but now that they're here, it's only a matter of time before they find me. That's why I-" His voice trailed off at the mentioned of that, he didn't know what he should do, he didn't want the other villagers to get involved in this and get harmed in the process.

There was one way, but it's not going to be pleasant.

"I have to leave the village." He said. "I don't want to get you, or any of the other villagers in harms way."

"Are you serious?!" Patience exclaimed. "You're just going to leave like that?" The fire fox's head faced down, she understood but at the same time felt disappointed. "And just when I finally found a close friend." She felt a hand lifting her head, Ian had move her head to face him, he could see the sadness in his eyes as well, but still managed to force a smile.

"Thank you Patience." He said. "You've been a wonderful friend, showing me around and helping me out. I'll never forget you."

Must not cry. Ian thought. Must. Not. Cry!

"And besides, you still have this with you to remember me." Ian reached into Patience's scarf and pulled out the twig necklace that he had made for her.

"You're right." Patience said. "But

where are you going to go though, it's a big world out there and you can't always be on the run."

She was right. He can't be running away forever, he had to go somewhere, somewhere he knew of people that could give him a place to stay and lay low.

He knew just the place.

"The Expedition Society." He said. "I could go to the Expedition Society and maybe they could help me out."

Patience eyes widened at the suggestion.

"We're Junior Expedition Society members... Of course!" She exclaimed. "We could head to Lively Town and they could probably let us in the Expedition Society."

"Woah woah woah hold on minute, what's this "we" business? You're not coming with me."

"Yes I am, it has always been my dream of joining the Expedition Society, and I'm not going to leave you damnit!"

Ian was surprised at the fire fox's Pokemon sudden outburst. Did she really care for him that much?

"Even if you wanted to," Ian said. "Carracosta won't agree to this."

"Then I'll make him agree! I'm going to ask him to finally let me leave the village and explore the world!"

Patience ran off back in the direction of her house before Ian could even object. The Fennekin was stubborn, that's for sure, but he could empathise with her of wanting to achieve her dreams. Ian shook his head, he needed to remain focused. He needed to tell Nuzleaf about this, tell him that he had to leave the village and he needed to some help with directions of how to get to Lively Town.

And he knew just the Pokemon.

* * *

Gadget placed the last of her valuables into her bag. It was time for her to leave Serene Village and head back to Lively Town. She honestly felt nervous, intimidating outlaws hardly made her flinch. But the thought of returning to the Expedition Society, the thought of returning to the place she turned her back on six months ago, it made her uneasy. But she she had hit a dead end and now the Expedition Society is her only lead left in solving this once and for all.

"Leaving so soon?"

Gadget cleared her thoughts and immediately switched to her battle stance at whoever was at her door. It turned out to be Ian, one of the children of Serene Village.

"Knock on the door will you?" She said annoyingly, to which Ian only scoffed. "And to answer your question, yes I'm leaving."

"Would your destination be Lively Town by chance?"

Gadget's eyes widened in surprise, how does the Mudkip figure out everything?

"Why would you want to know?" She asked.

Ian proceeded to explain everything that had just occurred. He mentioned how he was actually a human, Gadget surprisingly showed no reaction to that reveal, which confused Ian. He then told her about the three Beheeyems outside of the village and were looking for him, he needed to leave the village as soon as possible and that the Expedition Society was the best option he could think of.

"I see, you want to leave the village because you don't want to get the villagers involved in this." Gadget summarised. "An admirable act, but a costly one."

"I need to leave the villagers, Nuzleaf," Ian said. "Patience..."

"We all have to make sacrifices sometimes." Gadget said, frowning. Ian noticed Gadget's change in expression when she said sacrifice, curious. "I give you until tomorrow night, I'll be leaving for Lively Town with or without you."

"Thank you Gadget." Ian said. That was one thing of his list of preparations, now he needed to gather supplies for the long journey ahead.

And say goodbye to Nuzleaf.

* * *

"So that's what they've been up to. I can't imagine them leaving without saying a proper goodbye. I need to inform the others about it."

* * *

"For the last time, no!" Carracosta said.

"I'll be fine on my own out there pops!" Patience said.

"Naive child! You don't understand the dangers of the world outside! You won't even last a day!"

"You won't know that!" Patience yelled back. "I've gotten stronger and stronger the past few days, plus I have Ian with me!"

"I won't allow it!" Carracosta exclaimed. "And that is FINAL!"

Carracosta stormed out of the house in frustration, leaving the fire fox Pokemon alone in the house. She knew the prototurtle Pokemon cared for her and wanted the best for her, but he was sometimes too overprotective. It didn't matter, because it wasn't going to change her mind.

She was leaving with Ian, no matter what.

* * *

"You said what now?! Them Beheeyems have returned and are right outside the village?!" Nuzleaf exclaimed.

"That's right. This is why I have to leave the village, I don't want the Beheeyem harming you or anyone else in the village."

Nuzleaf frowned, the thought of someone he almost considered a son having to leave him, he understood the situation but knew there had to be another way.

"No, you stay here. We can protect you." Nuzleaf said, his tone almost making it sound like an order.

"B-but, if I don't leave the village will be in danger!" Ian said.

"We can protect you, Ian. Serene Village will fight anyone who dares harm our children." Nuzleaf said. "Don't worry Ian, you'll be just fine staying right where you are."

"If you say so..." Ian left the house, feeling conflicted. Coincidentally, Patience left her house as well, looking rather annoyed.

"So, how did it go?" He asked.

"Carracosta's not on board with this. What about Nuzleaf?"

"Nada." He said. "He said the village can protect me if it comes to it."

"Are you going to take his advice?" Patience asked.

"It pains me to say it, but no." Ian replied. "I'm not taking any chances." He sighed, the mudfish Pokemon felt his head spin. Everything was going downhill and it wasn't even noon yet. "Gadget is willing to take me to Lively Town, I have until tomorrow night to prepare.

"Wait, Gadget?"

"Long story short she's leaving Serene Village and heading for Lively Town, so I'm tagging along with her." Ian explained.

"I'm coming with you." Patience said. "Regardless of what my pops said."

"You don't have to do this..." Ian said, almost pleading the fire fox Pokemon to not follow him.

"No, I've made my decision." She said. "I want to make it up to you after everything you've done for me."

Ian stared at her for a few seconds, before finally giving in.

"Let's get to work then." He said. "We'll spend the rest of tomorrow stocking up on items."

Patience nodded and the two made their way to the village gates. Their Junior Expedition Society duties still need to be done.

Plus they needed the extra money for the journey ahead.

* * *

A/N: Thank goodness I've finally reached this part in the PSMD story. If you want my honest opinion, the whole segment in Serene Village in the games felt slow and unnecessary. It's only when you leave the village is where the story truly begins.

Anyway, if you haven't noticed, as of writing this. I've finally found an artist to help me draw a new cover for my story. You can scroll up/switch to desktop mode on your phone to see it and I would like to thank my friend for making it for me.

With that said, this is Ikcacther, signing off!


	36. Farewell, Serene Village

"Nuzleaf,

by the time you'll be reading this I would have left already. It pains me to do this but I see no other option but to take my leave. I cannot afford to get you or any of the villagers in danger for my problem.

Thank you, for taking me in when I had nowhere else to go. I'll never forget the kindness you and the other villagers have shown me.

The next time you'll see me, I'll probably be in Lively Town, joining up with the Expedition Society.

Until then, farewell, and I'll see you again some day.

Ian"

* * *

Ian tore the paper from his notebook and placed it on the bed he wouldn't be using anymore. He checked his bag for the fifth time. Food, wands, seeds, orbs, medical supplies. Everything was accounted for. He and Patience had spend the entire day packing up and getting ready, they had pooled their Poké to purchase all the items they needed for the long road ahead. Thankfully, they still had an adequate amount of Poké remaining.

Ian lifted the bag, and nearly tripped from how heavy it was and slung it on his body. He went to the window and pulled at the grate once more, coming off much easier this time. Ian climbed through the window while holding grate, when he was outside he fixed the grate back where it was for the last time.

I'm going to miss this place. Ian thought, frowning at the fact that he was leaving the village he had considered his home. He also realized the Patience's case was just as bad, she will be leaving her father Carracosta as well, who may never know the reason Patience was gone. Ian shook the thoughts from his head and decided to head for the front of the house, where he had asked Patience to meet. No surprise, she was already waiting for him there, her heavy bag slung over her body as well.

"All set?" Ian asked.

"Before we leave, could we stop by the hill? I want to see it one more time." Patience said.

"Alright then, lead the way."

Patience went ahead and Ian followed after her. They walked in silence throughout the way, the both of them didn't have anything to say to lighten the mood, the intensity of the situation didn't make it any better.

When they arrived at the hill, Patience down and enjoy the view, Ian followed and sat next to her. He looked up at the dark sky and was greeted with the twinkling lights of countless stars. Ian was speechless at the magnificent sight, he was surprised that only now, when he was about to leave Serene Village that he got to appreciate the beauty of this place. It was sad, knowing he might never experience this again. He heard Patience sigh, and turned to face her.

"You know, it's funny." She said.

"What is?"

"I always come up here whenever I felt down, the view of the village would always cheer me up. But now, it's the complete opposite." Ian saw Patience frowned, she still wasn't prepared for the fact that she's leaving her home, where she had grew, learned and played in. It wasn't easy for a child like Patience.

"You can still drop this if you want." Ian said. "You don't have to-"

"No." She quickly replied. "I've made my decision. I'm going to Lively Town with you, and join the Expedition Society."

Ian chuckled, confusing the fire fox Pokemon.

"You really are stubborn, you know that? Come on, we should go, I don't think Gadget likes waiting."

* * *

Where is that kid? Gadget thought, getting more impatient by the second. She had already packed up and left as soon as dusk came, she had always preferred being early to something. She never was a Pokemon to sit still, even when she was just a young Shinx.

Shinx...

She shook the thought out of her head and tried keeping herself occupied, she took out a puzzle cube she had gotten from a Pokemon when travelling through the Mist Continent during her six month travel. She couldn't remember the name of the Pokemon, only remembering how he looked, distinctively yellow and holding spoons in each of his hands.

"This cube teaches one to be patient and diligent." His words echoed. "If you manage to solve it, you'll be rewarded with the contents inside the cube."

Gadget shook the cube, and heard something move in the hollow cube. She fiddled with it, trying to get all 9 symbols, a different one for each 6 six sides to match up. She didn't know how long she was playing with the cube, but it was long enough that Ian had finally arrived. The gleam eyes Pokemon sighed in annoyance and placed the cube back into her bag.

One day, I'll solve your puzzle and reap the reward that laid inside.

"Took you long enough, I was about to leave without-" It was then that Gadget noticed that the mudfish Pokemon wasn't alone, behind him was her Fennekin friend, Patience. "You said you weren't going to bring her."

"Change of plans." Ian replied. "She's coming with me."

Gadget looked at the two Pokemon for a few seconds before shrugging.

"If you insist." She said.

"Well, looks like this is goodbye to Serene Village then." Patience said, almost a whisper.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that."

The voice, Ian and Patience were sure of it but turned around to confirm their suspicions. It was Deerling, along with the rest the children of Serene Village. She was holding in her hands.

"G-guys...?!" Patience said in shock. "B-but how did you-"

"Espurr told us." Pancham said. "Well more specifically she told EVERYONE in the village of your departure."

Ian and Patience looked at Espurr in surprise, who only returned a cheeky smile.

"You two were acting suspicious two days ago, so I followed Ian and found out he had to leave the village, and Patience was going as well." Espurr said.

"I envy you." Shelmet said. "Having a dream and going after it."

Ian felt a flood of emotions flooding into him with the sudden appearance of his friends. He didn't know what to feel. Happy that he gets to wish a proper farewell? Or sad? Looking over at Patience, he assumed she also felt the same way as well.

"The adults left you these letters too." Goomy said.

"The adults planned on showing up, but they wanted to, as they call it 'save face'" Pancham explained.

Deerling walked over and handed Ian a stack of letters from everyone in Serene Village, all with their names written on the envelope. Patience got closer wanting to read the letters as well, Ian was reluctant on opening it, but forced himself to open the first letter and started reading.

"When I heard that you two were going to leave the village, I was shocked. I thought to myself, how are kids going to survive out there by themselves.

But after what you two have accomplished with me at Ancient Barrow, I have no doubts that you will do just fine.

Go for it! Ian and Patience!

Farfetch'd"

"Farfetch'd...?!" Ian said to himself in surprise, as he reached for another letter.

"Dear me, leaving without even saying a proper goodbye? What I expected from troublesome kids. With the skills I have given you through countless lessons in school, I hope you'll put it to good use.

Farewell, Ian and Patience! And enjoy life!

Watchog."

Ian and Patience continued opening the letters, getting more and more frantic with each letter.

"Children's dreams can never be destroyed by adults.

Don't look back on the past, but instead look ahead towards the future!

Principal Simipour."

"It is sad to see you leave, but never forget: 'An Apple a day keeps the Audino away!' So stay safe, stay healthy and have fun!

Audino."

"Although it hurts me that you never visited my store, there's another one in Lively Town if you ever do plan on visiting it

Stay strong, my Hawluchamaniacs!

Hawlucha."

Confused, Ian wanted to ask who was Hawlucha, but decided not to because it felt like it'll ruin the moment.

"Goodbye Ian and Patience! Do not worry, I'll make sure to inform the Keckleon store over at Lively Town about your arrival, so that you won't have to worry about supplies!

Keckleon."

"No matter what happens, never forget your roots and the people who supported you!

Kangaskhan."

Ian turned and noticed that Patience had tears streaming down her face, he couldn't blame her, it was hitting him just as hard.

"I-its as if everyone already knew that eventually this day would come!" Patience said. "It wasn't because they didn't understand, it was because they cared for us!" It was then she noticed two more letters left. The names Nuzleaf and Carracosta written on it. Ian, having the feeling he knew what was coming, gave Patience's Nuzleaf's letter, and he took Carracosta's.

"I cannot count the numbers of times you have constantly told me about your dream of joining the Expedition Society. When you told me that you were going to leave the village, I got angry. But I knew that this day would come, if I really love something, I should let it go. That is why, as a father, I want you to follow what your heart desires.

Carracosta.

PS: Ian, please take care of my Patience. Ever since you came here, she has never been so happy before, I wish for you to continue doing so, she may not be flesh and blood, but she is still my daughter, and I'm leaving her to you."

Ian, who could feel his heart getting heavier by the second, passed the letter to Patience and taking Nuzleaf's letter to read it.

"I knew right from the start that you weren't going to stay, which saddens me, but I understand. You doing this for the sake of the village, and for that, I am proud of you.

Take care of yourself out there sport.

Nuzleaf."

PS: Patience, if you're reading this. Then please look after Ian. You two stick together like an Ariados's web, the most important thing to have in the outside world is someone that you can rely on. With trust, anything is possible!"

Ian placed the letter down, it was only then, he noticed water dripping from his face and hitting the ground.

He was crying, for the first time, Ian was crying, and he wasn't stopping anytime soon.

"Wow, this is the first time we've seen you cry." Deerling said.

"Well, life is full of surprises isn't it?" He said, wiping his tears.

"There's one more thing we want to give you." Goomy said. He walked up to Patience and handed her another piece of paper. It was a drawing, of all the Pokemon in the village lined up together, smiling. Ian and Patience were placed at the most front of the group, Ian placing his shoulder over Patience. The words 'Together Forever' were written in black at the very bottom.

Patience could no longer hold back anymore. She broke down into tears, crying uncontrollably.

"I won't let you guys down!" She managed to say. "I won't let the village down! When we return, we'll be come as Pokemon that Serene Village can be proud of!"

The children went up and gave Ian and Patience a group hug, wishing them good luck before they leave.

"It's time to go." Gadget said, who had been standing behind watching the entire time without making a comment.

Ian and Patience nodded as their tears finally dried up. They waved at the children one final time before finally heading off from the village gates.

"Take care of yourselves!" Deerling said.

"Have lots of fun!" Goomy said.

"And don't disappoint us!" Pancham said.

Ian and Patience took their first steps into a brave new world, both filled with new adventures and dangers.

There was no turning back now. Their real journey,

Starts now.

* * *

A/N: And with that, Ian and Patience have finally depart from Serene Village, travelling towards their destination of Lively Town!

We're basically at the halfway point of this story folks, now things are going to get more interesting in the chapters to come.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	37. The Great Wall of the Water Continent

Patience collapsed onto the ground when Gadget finally said they could take a break, her legs were killing her from all the uphill climbing they've been doing for the past few hours.

It has been a day and a half since they had left Serene Village, heading east towards Lively Town. They had crossed forests, plains and now Sheer Mountain Range, hills and valleys that stretched almost a hundred kilometers in length, all the way to the shore. It divided the Water Continent into east and west, any Pokemon wanting to travel to Lively Town or Serene Village, had to cross this mountain which isn't advised because of the extreme hot weather due to the summer heat.

"How much farther before we reach Lively Town? Patience asked.

"It'll take another day at most." She replied, looking at her map.

The fire fox Pokemon sighed in disappointment, she opened her bag and reached for a canteen full of water that her pops once used but had given it to her. She opened it and took a sip, quenching her thirst. It was then she noticed the stone that Litwick had given to her partially buried with the rest of her supplies, she took out and examined it again. It radiated a faint glow when it came into contact with her hand, a double helix symbol was inside it's clear body.

What does this stone do? Patience asked herself. Is it a key to an ancient ruin that contained treasure? The thought excited her but she doubt that was the case. Maybe it's part of something bigger? Something no Pokemon has ever heard of before? Maybe some day she'll find out. She placed the stone back into her bag and continue drinking, she saw Ian, who was writing something in his notebook that he always carried, admiring the scenery from their high vantage point. A cool breeze blew past them, which made sense considering how high they were up.

Who knew the world could be so beautiful? Patience thought. I wonder what more is there to see out there?

"Alright, break time's over." Gadget said. "Let's get back on the road, we can get through Sheer Mountain Range before nightfall."

Ian and Patience nodded, as the fire fox Pokemon placed the canteen back into her bag, got up and went up to Ian.

"You lead this time." The mudfish Pokemon said. "Walking behind Gadget is getting pretty boring."

"How nice of you." Patience sarcastically said. As the two caught up with Gadget and continued their journey to Lively Town.

* * *

A/N: I know this chapter was short and somewhat filler-ish, but I wanted to get this out of the way so I can move on much faster.

I know I've asked this before, but after this story comes to a close. Would you all still want to see me do more Super Mystery Dungeon stories? They won't be as long as this one but they'll be more like "Special Episodes" from Explorers of Sky, following a certain character from here.

Let me know what you guys think.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	38. Starry Night

Entry #9

We've finally reached the other side of Sheer Mountain Range. It wasn't an easy task, it took us another 2 hours of climbing up before needing to climb all the way down. By the time we reached ground level, the sun had already begun to set.

Gadget said we should camp by this plains near a river, said its the perfect spot as she has used this place in the past. We're close to the next dungeon, Gentle Slope Cave, after that, it's a smooth journey to Lively Town.

Being all the way out here makes me realize how much I actually miss Serene Village. The peaceful atmosphere, the villagers and my classmates. With everything that has happened, I almost forgot that I used to even be a human, weird right? You would think that was the one thing I would be worrying about. But I guess this world just has a lot of things to distract me from that thought to ever cross my mind.

A part of me wish it stayed that way, while the other still wants to know what is my purpose here.

Guess only time will tell.

* * *

Ian looked up from his notebook to see Gadget with Patience watching, trying to start a fire for the campfire with a pair of rocks. She repeatly strike the stones together, hoping that the friction would cause enough heat to ignite the wood, but to no avail. Patience rolled her eyes and launched Ember onto the pile of woods, igniting it instantaneously. Gadget looked at Patience in surprise, then at the fire and face palmed herself in embarrassment at the sudden realization. Patience giggled shortly after.

Ian smiled at the interaction of the two girls. It was nice seeing the two interacting together in a time like this, really lightens up the mood. The mudfish Pokemon flipped to the end of his notebook, where he had placed all the letters the villagers of Serene Village had given them, folded and arranged nicely together to fit into his notebook. Next to it was the drawing received from their classmates.

"We won't let you guys down, we promise." Ian said to himself, looking at the drawing before closing the notebook and placing it back into his bag. He walked over to Patience and Gadget who were both removing food from their bags.

"I hope one of you know how to cook." Ian said. "Because I don't want to burn this entire forest down."

* * *

Ten days, they still had ten days before he strikes again.

Ampharos read the letter for the fifth time since leaving Pokemon Square. Although he couldn't exactly see the words written on the paper, with it being the middle of the night and almost a few hundred kilometers from land, He remembered it by heart.

"But where? Where is he going next?"

"Hmm? Did you say something back there?" Lapras, their sea transport back to Lively Town asked.

"No, just thinking out loud." Ampharos replied. The lighthouse Pokemon kept the letter back into his bag and tried getting some shut eye on the very uncomfortable, but spacious back of Lapras. Mawile, who was next to him, had her arms crossed and head facing down, sleeping soundly. The lighthouse Pokemon was confused at how she is doing so, either she had done this enough times to find the perfect position of sleeping on a Lapras, or she's just a very heavy sleeper. Ampharos sighed, he envied Mawile for being able to sleep, because he couldn't.

Sleep is both be a miracle and a curse, it can help a Pokemon forget all the troubles and worries throughout the day temporally. But it's just that, temporally. Once they wake up, it's business as usual, no amount of sleep can make a problem go away.

Ampharos looked up and was greeted with the sight of countless of stars, some shined brighter than others, while others were of slightly different colours, he sighed, the starry night only reminded him of someone whom he had taught the many constellations to, someone he honestly wished would come back so he could help.

"Gadget..." He whispered.

* * *

Ian opened his eyes after spending the last twenty minutes tossing and turning in bed, trying to fall asleep. He looked around the rest of the camp and saw Patience huddled and sleeping quietly, but Gadget was nowhere to be found, her bed was empty. Confused, the mudfish Pokemon decided to get out of bed, he might as well do some stretching to tire himself out. It was then, he saw Gadget, who was sitting by a tree next to the river, looking up at the night sky.

Eh, might as well. Ian thought.

Ian approached the gleam eyes Pokemon and noticed that she was holding a piece of paper in her hand, looking at it and then at the sky shortly after.

"Can't sleep?" He asked.

Gadget turned in surprise and when she saw him quickly relaxed.

"Something like that." She replied. He ushered the mudfish Pokemon to join her, as he sat next to her.

"What's that you got there?" Ian asked.

"A star chart." Gadget replied. "You've learned about constellations in school right?"

"Yeah, Pokemon used the stars long ago to determine where they were."

"Correct, but nowadays we don't use it anymore. I enjoy studying the constellations. It's sort of like my hobby." Gadget passed the star chart over to Ian, there were all kinds of stars that were arrange in the shape of Pokemon's.

"Look up there." Gadget pointed. "Do you see the few stars that shined brighter than the others?"

Ian looked up at the night sky and tried to see what Gadget was talking about, it wasn't exactly easy to pick a few distinct stars out of thousands in a sea of them. After awhile, he saw a few stars that were indeed brighter than the others.

"Yeah, I see it."

"That's the constellation Tauros, named after the Pokemon of the same name."

Ian looked at the star chart and saw the constellation Gadget had mentioned, the stars were connected together and it indeed matched with the arrangement of the stars.

"That's pretty cool." Ian said.

"It is indeed." Gadget said. "Ampharos taught me astrology back then, who knew I would be this interested in stars."

Again, Gadget mentions Ampharos. It got Ian curious now, was she an acquaintance? There's only one way to find out.

"How do you know Ampharos?" He asked. He noticed the sudden change in expression on Gadget's face, one of uncertainty and nervousness, something he has never seen come from the stone cold Gadget.

"I... Uh..." She stuttered. "It's a long story..."

"Not like I have anything better to do." Ian said. "So do tell me."

Gadget turned from the mudfish Pokemon, gave out a long sigh. It was time she told someone about all this anyway.

"You see... I used to be a part of the Expedition Society." She started off. "I'm pretty sure you figured this out already, but Ampharos's the leader of the Expedition Society."

Ian took the reveal with a slight hint of surprise, he had already figured that out a long time ago. Although Patience was probably going to be in for a surprise when they join the Society.

"I joined up the Expedition Society when I was a mere Luxio and I left the comfort of my home of Amp Plains in the Grass Continent, on a journey to be stronger. I bumped into him during my travels and he had asked me to join the Expedition Society, which I immediately accepted. I thought to myself 'I'm going to join the Expedition Society, I'm going to become strong and made my clan proud!' And so, I became the Society's Ranger: My job is to explore dangerous dungeons when none of the other members were capable for the task. I would always volunteer myself for it, I want to challenge myself, to become the strongest and become the best."

Gadget walked towards the river and looked into the water, her reflection looked back at her from the moonlight above.

"So you evolved?" Ian asked.

"Correct, when I did, I was proud of myself, I had became stronger than I ever was, and I wanted to return to my clan, my parents, and showed them how much I've grown since leaving. But that was when..."

Ian noticed Gadget clenched her paws, her body notably shaking.

This can't be good.

"When I return to Amp Plains, I saw... my clan, everyone that I know and love, being turned into stone by an unknown assailant. Shocked, I rushed to find my parents, hoping that maybe, just maybe, that they haven't suffered the same fate. What I was greeted with were my parents, looking up at something and a flash of light blinded me. When I came to, they were gone..., they had been turned into stone. If only I had been there earlier by a FEW SECONDS I COULD'VE-" Gadget stopped herself, and punched the nearby tree in frustration, taking Ian by surprise, he hasn't seen this much anger in a Pokemon before.

"At that point, I was broken, time slowed down, my whole body trembled, for the first time, I was lost, scared."

"Anyone would felt the same way on you posi-"

"But what did I do?! I ran away! I was a coward and I did nothing to try and catch the culprit." Tears were streaming down Gadget's eyes.

Serious as Gadget is, even she has feelings too, and now I feel bad for thinking she's emotionless. Ian thought.

"Great, I'm crying." She said, hastily wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"What happened then? What did you do?" Ian asked.

"I vowed revenge, I wanted to make sure the culprit suffered before I brought him to justice. But Ampharos, he didn't agree with my methods, said that revenge isn't the best option, but I wasn't having any of that, he didn't know what I had been through. And so I left the Expedition Society, going on my own in search of the one responsible for turning my family into stone. Six months, six long months of searching, but nothing. Having little to no choice, I have to return to the Society... I need their help. But what would they think of me? A cold, emotionless shell of who I used to be? A blood hungry Pokemon who wants nothing but revenge? I honestly don't know..."

"I no doubt think that everyone will welcome you back with open arms, especially Ampharos." Ian comforted.

"Only one way to find out..." The two remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, Ian didn't know what to think of the new information of Gadget he had just been bombarded with. One thing's for sure though, he wasn't going to sleep peacefully tonight.

"By the way," Gadget said. "what's your name? I decided to take you and your friend on my journey and I didn't even have the decency of asking your names."

"My name is Ian, and my friend's name is Patience." He replied.

"Those are nice names." Gadget said.

"And what about you? You never told us your real name."

The gleam eyes Pokemon closed her eyes and pondered for a brief moment, before finally deciding.

"Luxray." She said. "My real name is Luxray, my parents liked to call me Gadget for my fascination with anything technological."

It was then, Ian noticed something that surprised him, a faint glimmer of something Gadget still had deep within her.

She was smiling.

"It's getting late, I think we should both turn in for the night. And thanks... For listening to this lonely Pokemon's story."

"No problem." Ian said. "Goodnight, Luxray."

Gadget made no comment on that and simply let out a scoff, as she went to her bed a lay down. Ian laid down on his bed as well, feeling tired now from all the talk. He wasn't sure how was he going to tell all of this to Patience,

For she was sleeping soundly, never hearing a word from the conversation between him and Gadget.

But in truth, Patience had heard everything, she too was unable to sleep, but decided to just remain in bed, hoping she would eventually fall asleep. When Ian began talking with Gadget, she couldn't help but listening in as well.

She knew about everything now, Ampharos's true identity, Gadget's past and her real name, Luxray. The fire fox Pokemon felt a sense of sadness within her, pitying what the gleam eyes Pokemon had been through, makes her feel extremely lucky and blessed that she had people like her pops, the village, that were there for her.

Even Ian, especially Ian.

She pushed those thoughts away and decided it was time to sleep for real as well. Tomorrow was going to be a big day, just a bit more of travelling before they finally reached their destination, where her dreams can finally be achieved.

Lively Town.


	39. Hello, Lively Town!

"There it is! I see an exit!" Patience exclaimed as she ran towards the exit. Ian and Gadget following after her.

When they exited Gentle Slope Cave, a bright light blinded them as their eyes adjusted to the outside light, when it finally did, they noticed that they were by an edge of a cliff, Patience standing by it.

"Look! Over there! Is that Lively Town?" Patience said, pointing at an area which looked like a city by the ocean.

"It is indeed." Gadget replied. "That right there, is Lively Town."

Patience expression changed to that of excitement at the mention of Lively Town, Ian smiled as well, they had finally reached their destination.

"What's that building over there?" Patience asked, pointing towards a tall structure that was next to the sea. Ian squinted and eventually found what Patience was pointing at.

"That's a lighthouse." Gadget replied. "It's a structure for Pokemon traveling here by sea to show that they are about to hit land at night."

Patience continued looking at the town in awe, unable to control her excitement, she dashed ahead and ran down the hill, towards the path that leads to Lively Town.

"What are you waiting for Slowpokes?" She yelled, as she continued running ahead.

Ian and Gadget both sighed, amazed at how energetic the Fennekin was.

"She's really hyperactive." Gadget commented.

"You think this is bad, you should have seen her when we got our Expedition Society kit." Ian said, as the two ran to catch up with Patience.

A whole new place, a whole new attitude.

* * *

Ampharos woke up, feeling groggy and sick. He was surprised he even managed to get a wink of sleep, considering the fact that they were always rocking from the constant waves, made him dizzy and seasick.

Goodness, I think I'll just head straight to my office and go back to bed when we get back. He thought, a few more extra hours of sleep seemed like a luxury at the moment.

He turned to his right and saw Mawile, who was already awake and was reading one of he many books she had back at the Expedition Society.

"Good morning boss." She greeted. "Slept well?"

"My neck aches and I feel like I'm about to throw up, so no." Ampharos replied.

"We still have a few more hours before we reach Lively Town." Mawile said, as she continued reading her book.

"What are you even reading anyway?" The lighthouse Pokemon asked.

"Oh this?" Mawile said, raising her book. "It's a book on Pokemon evolution. Tell me something, are you able to still evolve?"

"Of course not," Ampharos replied. "I'm already at the final stage of my evolutionary line."

"Well, what if I told you that is not entirely true? That there's actually sort of 'further evolution'."

"You're joking."

Mawile shook her head. "For the past decade, Pokemon across the world have reported changing appearance despite being fully evolved. The strange part is that those Pokemon returned to their original appearance after a short period of time."

Ampharos was suddenly intrigued with this discussion. A new form of evolution? How has he not heard of this? Then again, he wasn't really a Pokemon that reads a lot, he preferred to learn things through experience.

"Are all Pokemon capable of this?" He asked.

"So far only a few Pokemon are capable of this new form of evolution." She replied.

"You think I could achieve this new evolution?" Ampharos proudly asked.

"Who knows? Maybe you can."

Ampharos smiled at the thought of that, he felt like he needed a change in appearance, perhaps maybe he could get some fabulous hair? That'll definitely make him stylish.

"What is this evolution called anyway?"

"There's a lot of unknowns regarding this, but everyone can agree on the name of this new form of evolution," Mawile said.

"Mega Evolution."

* * *

Ian's expectations on Lively Town was that it'll be bigger, more Pokemon and... well, livelier. But he seriously underestimated. Dozen of Pokemon walking around, going about their daily lives, buildings left and right towering over them, he also only now noticed that the ground was even tiled.

It's a town alright. Ian thought.

"Could you two stay here for a short while?" Gadget asked. "I have something I need to go check before we head to the Expedition Society."

"Why can't we just tag along?" Patience asked.

"It's... business. But it won't take long, so don't go wandering off on your own alright?"

Ian and Patience both nodded.

"Good, I'll be right back."

Gadget went off in an instant, disappearing into the crowd of Pokemon. Patience looked around her in awe of her new environment, being raised in a quiet little village, the noise and excitement was something unseen to her. Ian watched as the fire fox Pokemon jumped and skipped happily in excitement, it oddly made him smile, happy to see his partner happy.

"You think we should look around?" Patience asked.

"I think we can do that later." Ian replied. "Gadget told us not to go off on our own."

"Oh come on, I'm sure it won't hurt if would just look around for a-"

Patience was interrupted when she bumped into something and fell on her back. Ian rushed over to his partner and helped her up, he turned to look at what she bumped into and it turned out it was a Pokemon, dark yellow with black stripes on his body and had a long mouth, like a crocodile.

"Hey! Watch where you're going punks!" The Pokemon said in a gruff voice.

"Sorry sorry!" Patience apologized.

"Wait, you kids are not from here, are you?"

"No...?" Ian replied.

The Pokemon's suddenly changed, a large grin formed on his face.

"Oh where are my manners? Being rude to visitors, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Krokorok and you do you happen to have any Poké on you?"

Ian and Patience looked at each other in confusion, what's with the sudden change in attitude? Less than a minute ago he looked like he was about to explode.

"No, sorry." Patience replied.

"Come on, help a friend out?" Krokorok approached closer to the two Pokemon, Ian stood in front of Patience, protecting her.

"We said we didn't have any Poké to spare! Now go away!" Ian exclaimed.

Krokorok's face turned red, his eyes were twitching and he gritted his teeth. Looks like that wasn't the best of ideas.

"Alright you punks! You better hand over your money this instant or I'll-"

"Or you'll what?"

Gadget stood in front of Ian and Patience, towering over the desert croc Pokemon. Krokorok's froze and shivered at the sight of her.

"G-Gadget! Funny to see you here!" Krokorok nervously said, Ian could definitely tell that he was scared.

"You weren't trying to extort money from this kids now were you?" Gadget said, glaring at Krokorok. "Remember last year?"

"No! Please! My jaws are still recovering from that incident! I won't trouble them no more!"

"Good, now scram!"

Krokorok ran off in terror, Gadget being satisfied, turned to face Ian and Patience.

"Who was that?" Patience asked.

"That's Krokorok, he's Lively Town's local hooligan, he's harmless by himself. But his boss Krookodile though is a different story."

Ian shivered when he heard the name. Krookodile sounded like a pretty scary name.

"But anyway, let's make our way to the Expedition Society shall we?" Gadget said, as she turned around and the three continued walking through Lively Town towards the it's main point of interest: the Expedition Society Headquarters.

* * *

Ian had always imagined that the Expedition Society Headquarters would be one of the many buildings that were in Lively Town, but nothing like this.

Standing almost 20 metres in height and was the biggest building in the entire town. The Expedition Society Headquarters was a sight to behold. The structure of the building almost made it look like a castle of sorts.

"Wow! Is this where the Expedition Society is?" Patience asked excitingly.

"It is indeed." Gadget replied, she walked over to the board that was by the main entrance and inspected it, there were multiple pieces of paper pasted onto the board. Odd, back then there was only one piece of paper on the board.

The first one read "Welcome to the Expedition Society! If you require assistance, come right in! If you're a sales Pokemon or something then go away, we don't want anything."

The second one, written in red read "Actually, any sales Pokemon that sell food are welcomed! Our stocks are running low again."

The third one, pasted over the second one read "For the love of Arceus Slurpuff! Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you didn't eat all of our supplies!"

The fourth one was simply a drawing of a smiley face winking. Gadget sighed in annoyance, knowing who had written down these notes.

"Let's head in." She said.

As the three Pokemon entered the building, they were greeted with a large room, the floors were covered with a bluish colour in the centre of the room was the logo that was identical to the Expedition Society badges that they were wearing. Two banners of the same logo were also decorated on each side of the stairs in front of them. The room was divided to three different paths, one that to the left, one to the right and a flight of stairs ahead.

"Doesn't look like anyone's home." Ian said, noticing the lack of noise.

Gadget looked around the room and frowned. "That's odd, usually there would be at least two or three Pokemon looking after the buil-"

"Swirlix! Get back here!"

The three Pokemon turned to the direction of the voice, outside, a few seconds later a pink Pokemon with no arms came running into the building, along with a stampede of five Pokemon chasing after it. The pink Pokemon, not looking at where it was going, bumped into Gadget and fell over, the five other Pokemon caught up but stopped when they noticed a familiar face, one that they have not seen for so long.

"Gadget?" The orange Pokemon with something wrapped around its neck like a float sac said. "Is that you."

"In the flesh, Buizel." Gadget replied. "It's good to see you all again."

"It's been, what, six months?" The brown Pokemon with large bunny ears said.

"The chief would definitely want to hear about this when he gets back!" The small, female mouse Pokemon said.

"And just when I was getting comfy in my new room." The blue, female Pokemon said, she had what appeared to be ice crystals hanging of her head.

"And I thought you missed me Glaceon." Gadget sarcastically said, to which Glaceon sighed in annoyance.

"Who are these two kids next to you Gadget? And why are they wearing Expedition Society badges?" The final Pokemon, a peach, blue and red coloured bird asked.

"I'll tell you later, what happened?"

"Swirlix ate all of the food supply, again." Buizel explained.

"The chief and Mawile are coming back in a few hours and we don't have anything for dinner!" The mouse Pokemon exclaimed, glaring at Slurpuff.

"I was just a little hungry and wanted a snack!" She said, to everyone's annoyance. Gadget sighed and turned to face Ian and Patience.

"I'm sorry to put this on you, but could you help us get some food? Normally we would have one of the other members do this but I figured you could do this if you really want to be Expedition Society members."

Ian and Patience looked at each other, a lot of emotions went through their heads in such a short amount of time. Confusion, excitement and nervousness, but mostly confusion.

"Fine, lets go Patience." Ian said, as the two ran out from the building and into the town.

All the excitement of joining the Expedition Society and the first thing we have to do is a fetch quest, great...

* * *

A/N: A new OC approaches! In the form of Glaceon, a member of the Expedition Society! What's her role? Well, only one way to find out, in the next chapter.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	40. Welcome to the Expedition Society

Ian and Patience watched as the Expedition Society members chowed down on their foods at the dining table. They decided to pass on the meal because they had sneakily took a few apples and berries from the supply crates to compensate for their efforts.

The sun had already begun to set when Ian and Patience were finally able to get enough food to fill 4 crates, Buizel said that the food "should be able to last until winter if Swirlix wasn't snacking from it". It was easy getting food from the residents of Lively Town, all they had to do was ask, and they flooded them with all kinds of food, thinking that the two were mere children that were travellers. The hard part was getting the food back to the Expedition Society Headquarters, Gadget was kind enough to help take two of the four crates, Ian and Patience took the other two, slowly pushing their way to the Headquarters.

This better be worth it for my poor legs. Ian thought to himself.

"Phew! That was a good dinner!" The Pokemon known as Bunnelby said.

"I thought I was done for!" Swirlix said.

"You're the reason we ran out of food in the first place!" Buizel exclaimed feeling annoyed.

"Remember the last time you ate too much Swirlix?" Glaceon said. "You fell ill from overeating that I had to pump you with my digestion concoction to make sure all your food actually went down."

Swirlix winced at the memory, not wanting to remember it.

"So Gadget," The tiny mouse Pokemon, also known as Dedenne said. "care to explain your sudden return?"

"I would explain everything once the chief comes back." Gadget replied. "Where is he anyway?"

"He's out on a mission with Mawile." The bird Pokemon, Archen replied. "They should probably be back soon."

"And here we are!"

Ian and Patience turned to the voice and saw a familiar face.

"Ampharos!" They both exclaimed in surprise.

"Well well well," The lighthouse Pokemon said. "if it isn't The Hydroflames, and... Gadget?"

"Reporting back for duty... Sir." She replied.

The room fell silent, the Expedition Society members were both shocked and happy to hear Gadget return, Ampharos was happy as well, but couldn't show it to the rest of his colleagues to maintain his professionalism.

Ampharos cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone in the room.

"Anyway, what brings you two here?" He asked Ian and Patience.

Ian looked over at Patience, who nodded. She'll do the talking.

"W-we like to join the Expedition Society!" She declared.

"WHAAAAAT?!" The room boomed with the voices of the Expedition Society members.

"T-this is sudden...!" Buizel said.

"Two more members?! Aw man! That means less leftovers for me!" Swirlix said.

"Great! The more the merrier!" Glaceon happily said.

"Cool." Bunnelby said.

Ampharos looked unsurprised, as if he knew that they would eventually want to join, but there was a question that he had to ask.

"Do your parents know about this?" He asked. "It's hard to believe that they would let you travel to the other side of the continent."

"Well..." Ian trailed off. "Sort of."

"That's good enough then." The lighthouse Pokemon replied. "Very well, would you two step up please?"

Ian and Patience did as told and stepped up towards Ampharos, Mawile stepped over to the side to give them room.

"Do you, Ian and Patience, wish to join the Expedition Society as official members?" He asked.

"Yes!" Patience excitingly replied.

"Yep." Ian replied.

"Then it is settled! As leader of the Expedition Society, I hereby declare The Hydroflames official members of the Expedition Society! Congratulations!"

The room erupted into thunderous claps and cheers, happy that two new members have joined the family.

"We'll save introductions for tomorrow," Ampharos said. "Dedenne will show you to your room."

"Roger that boss!" The antenna Pokemon said. "Follow me you two."

Dedenne got out of her seat and made her way out of the dining room, Ian and Patience followed after her.

"Gadget," Ampharos said, getting the gleam eyes Pokemon's attention. "report to my office immediately."

Gadget nervously gulped, something she had never done in a long time.

"Yes sir." She said, as she followed Ampharos out of the room, leaving the remaining Expedition Society members to themselves.

"You know what this means?" Buizel asked everyone.

"Initiation?" Archen replied.

"Initiation." He repeated.

"Oooh yes! I've been waiting so long for this again!" Glaceon said exactingly said.

"I'll go get the bottles and cups!" Swirlix said. "It's time for the traditional Expedition Society Initiation!"

* * *

Gadget remained still as Ampharos shut the door to his office, leaving the two of them in this confine space. Gadget never really liked small, cramped places. It felt like the world would close up and crush her at any second, but that seemed like nothing compared to what Ampharos might have to say.

All these years... He had took her in, train her, and made her the best. How did she repay him? By turning her back on him just because of her foolish opinions. If Ampharos went to a fit of anger and started yelling at her, she deserved every single second of it.

But it didn't happen, instead he approached and gave her a pat on the shoulder, smiling.

"It's good to have you back." He said. Gadget was confused, bemused at her mentor's attitude, her mouth hung open.

"I- I don't get it..." She said.

"Hmm? What is?"

"Why are you... happy to see me? After leaving I thought you would be upset, angry..." She trailed off, looking down towards the ground.

"...disappointed in me."

"Me? Disappointed? Goodness no." Ampharos said. "What's a leader who has no faith in their colleagues?"

"But six months, six months I turned my back on the Society because I was blinded by revenge, I felt nothing else, until now..."

Ampharos raised an eyebrow, curious at her last words.

"The two kids, Ian and Patience. After getting to know them I've came to care for them, protect them." She turned around, feeling embarrassed with her next few words. "They reminded me of who I was, the Gadget who would come back after every mission, smiling with pride for another job well done, one filled with enthusiasm and happiness. It reminded me of you, Ampharos, of how you invited me to join the Expedition Society because you saw potential in me, potential in becoming a great Pokemon."

Ampharos remained silent, unsure as to how to respond with Gadget's sudden speech. Sure, he had taught her everything she needed to know about dungeon exploring and how to survive, but had he really left such a big impact on her?

"I'm flattered to hear that Gadget." Was all he managed to say. "Now go on, I think we should properly welcome our new recruits."

"Indeed, goodnight sir."

"Goodnight."

Gadget left the room and shut the door behind her, leaving the lighthouse Pokemon alone with his thoughts.

Well, that was one good news out of a sea of bad news. He thought to himself as he went into his bedroom, collapsing onto his bed and immediately fell asleep.

* * *

"And this will be your room!" Dedenne said, opening the door to Ian and Patience's new room. It turned out that the sleeping quarters were at the left side of the main hall. There were eight doors along the hallway, four on each side, he assumed there were rooms for the other members.

Ian and Patience stepped into the room, it was pretty spacious, a light, sky blue wallpaper covered the room, there was a small round table with two chairs by the side, an empty shelf, and two beds placed right by the window.

"With that settled, I think I'll be heading home now." Dedenne said.

"Huh? You don't live here Dedenne?" Patience asked.

"Nah, I live down the street with my family. You should meet them some day."

"I see."

"In that case, see you tomorrow Dedenne." Ian said.

"See you tomorrow! And also, welcome to the team."

Ian nodded back and closed the door to the room, he turned back and faced Patience, she had the biggest grin on her face. She suddenly squealed in excitement and started jumping around the room, the mudfish Pokemon was confused at first, but then understood what it was all about.

Patience had finally achieved her dream.

"I've finally joined the Expedition Society!" She proudly exclaimed.

"Indeed you have." Ian replied.

"I couldn't have done it without you Ian," She said. "thank you."

Ian smiled and nodded back at her. "You're welcome."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Ian hoped that it wasn't a member who wanted to complain about Patience rather loud squeal. He opened the door and saw Buizel by the door.

"How do you like your new room?" He asked.

""It's pretty spacious and nice." Ian replied.

"Well, once your down settling down, head over to the last room on your right. We got something planned for you."

Buizel then walked off into the hallway, Ian looked over his door and saw the float sac Pokemon enter the room that he had instructed them to go to. Ian looked over at Patience, who simply shrugged in confusion as well.

"Might as well do as he says." Ian said.

Ian and Patience placed their bags down and exited their room, as the two walked through the hallway Ian noticed that they were signs for two of the rooms on the left, one of them read "Infirmary" and the other read "Storage". When they reached the final room on the right, it too also had a sign on the door. "Crew Room" was written on it. As Ian opened the door, they were greeted with the Expedition Society members, standing around when they turned to see their new recruits, all the members including Gadget were present, except for Ampharos, in place of him was a floating, white Pokemon with half a star as a head with paper looking objects sticked to his head. The room was just big enough to fit everyone, in one corner there was a long table with chairs, similar to the one Ian saw in the dining room. Ahead were a few tables and chairs, a bookshelf nearby filled with books. The one thing that peaked Ian and Patience's interest the most was a wall to the left of them, on the wall were multiple picture frames arranged in a orderly manner.

"Are these the two recruits that you woke you me up from my sleep for?" The floating Pokemon said.

"Yup, meet Ian and Patience of The Hydroflames." Glaceon declared.

The room clapped once more, Patience feeling a little embarrassed from all the excitement, her face turning slightly red.

"Aw shucks, you don't have to clap that much." Patience shyly said.

Ian turned and looked at the pictures on the wall, upon closer examination he realized that they were group pictures of the Expedition Society each one a new member of the Society is present.

The first picture merely showed Ampharos and Mawile, smiling with the entrance of the Expedition Society Headquarters behind them. Next picture, Dedenne was present, then Bunnelby, Archen, Swirlix, a young Gadget, back then a Luxio, Buizel, the star Pokemon, and finally Glaceon. The final picture was the entire Expedtiom Society members posing in all sorts of manners.

"That's our Society Wall." Bunnelby said. "Their pictures of the members of the Expedition Society every time a new member joins. It's actually a pretty good method of tracking how much time has passed to be honest."

"So does that mean we-"

"Yeah, we're going to have to call Meowth to get our picture done for the wall." Mawile added. "But enough with that, let us all gather at the table."

The members all gathered around and sat down by the long table. Ian and Patience sat down on the remaining chairs.

"Now, it is time for you to perform the Expedition Society Initiation." Mawile announced.

Ian and Patience looked at each other, Ian wasn't aware that this was a thing, judging by Patience's expression, nether did she.

Swirlix placed ten cups and passed it around the table, along with it was a plain white bottle.

"Before we commence, I think we should all introduce ourselves to our new recruits." Mawile said. "Who would like to go first?"

"I'll go first." Buizel said, he stood up let out soft cough to clear his throat. "The name's Buizel, I'm in charge of underwater and marine expeditions, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Buizel sat down, Bunnelby went next.

"My name is Bunnelby, my primary role is underground and excavating expeditions, pleased to meet you."

"Oh oh! I'll go next!" Swirlix said excitingly. "My name is Swirlix, and I'm the Expedition Society's steward! I'll be cooking up all your meals while you're here, although sometimes the food just looks so good that I can't resist-"

"And this is why we our food supply always runs short!" Buizel exclaimed. "Because our chef is a complete a glutton!"

"Alright alright, enough you two." Archen said. "Allow me to go next, my name is Archen and I'm in charge of sky expeditions, going where no one else can! Although I can't actually fly though eheh..."

"I'll go next." Mawile said. "My name is Mawile and I'm the XO, or second in command of the Expedition Society, anything you wish to discuss or complain about, you come see me, other than that, it's a pleasure meeting you!" She smiled sweetly at Ian and Patience.

"Guess it's my turn then." The star Pokemon said. "My name is Jirachi, the genius."

"Wait, I know that name," Ian interrupted. "You're the Pokemon who created the Expedition Gadget correct?"

Jirachi nodded, impressed at the mudfish Pokemon's extensive knowledge of him.

"I see you're well aware of my work. It's only natural since I am such a genius after all. Anyway, I'm the Expedition Society's tech specialist and astronomer, it'll be a pleasure working with you two."

Boy, isn't he full of himself. Ian thought.

"My turn now," Dedenne said, she stood on the table instead of sitting on the chair because of her relatively small size compared to everyone else. "my name is Dedebne and I'm in charge of running communications in the the Expedition Society."

"Communications?" Patience asked, what's that supposed to mean?"

"I'll explain that tomorrow." She replied, to the fire fox Pokemon's disappointment.

"You already know me but I guess I'll has to reintroduce myself for the sake of the tradition." Gadget said. "My name is Luxray, AKA Gadget and I'm the Expedition Society's Ranger, whenever there's a dangerous dungeon or an expedition that the other members are unable to do, I'll be sent in for the job."

"I cannot count the number of times Gadget has bailed us out from dangerous expeditions and succeeded." Archen commented. "She's a huge asset to the Society."

Gadget merely grunted at the compliment.

"Huh, guess that leaves only me then." Glaceon said. "My name is Glaceon and I'm the Expedition Society's doctor, if you get food poisoning or took a Hyper Beam to the face, you come see me." She then giggled. "I was the Society's most recent addition and youngest until you came along, it's nice to meet you two!" Glaceon smiled at Ian and Patience. Ian didn't know why, but her smile made his heart melt, the friendly and welcoming smile made him instantly comfortable with Glaceon.

"Now that we've all introduced ourselves," Buizel said. "it's your turn to introduce yourselves."

Ian was about to introduce when suddenly Patience decided to go first.

"I'm Patience from Serene Village! My dream has always been to join the Expedition Society!"

"Well, I see that you've finally achieved it then." Glaceon said.

"And I'm Ian," Ian said. "And uh... Same."

With the introductions finally over, the Expedition Society all nodded, Swirlix went around pouring a strange yellow liquid from the white bottle into everyone's cup Ian and Patience included.

"That right there is Shuckle Juice." Gadget said. "It's probably the sweetest thing ever to be made by Pokemon. We only drink this for occasions such as this."

"Don't drink too much though," Glaceon added. "when I joined I drank a little too much of it and there were... interesting side effects."

"Our resident doctor was knocked out for almost the entire next day, ironic isn't it?" Bunnelby said.

"Ahem, with everything all said and done." Mawile said. "It's time we recite the Expedition Society's motto."

"You guys have a motto?" Ian asked.

"Untied we stand, anything we can." She said. "We're all going to say it and we drink the Shuckle Juice, now is everyone ready?"

Everyone nodded, expect Ian who had hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Alright, on three. One, two, three!"

"UNITED WE STAND, ANYTHING WE CAN! HUZZAH!" The room roared and after that drank their Shuckle Juice. Ian consumed it in one gulp, the overwhelming sweetness of the drink was both mesmerizing and felt like it was going to kill him, but all in all, it tasted amazing. Patience placed her cup on the table, letting out a loud burp that echoed through the room, she covered her mouth in embarrassment as everyone laughed in amusement.

"Welcome to the Expedition Society Ian and Patience," Mawile declared. "we're going to make a great team."

* * *

A/N: Oh boy! This took awhile to write, but it was well worth the time and effort.

Question for today: What do you think of Glaceon? The Expedition Society's friendly doctor? Love her? Hate her? Let me know.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher welcoming our newest members into the Expedition Society, signing off!


	41. Silence

A/N: I don't usually do this, nor will I do this again. But I want you all to listen to a track while reading this, for atmospheric purposes.

The track is from Mass Effect 3 titled Dream.

You're welcome.

* * *

Silence, something both equally claiming and terrifying given the circumstances. Right now, it was terrifying.

Patience opened her eyes and noticed that she was dense forest, sunlight shining partly through the trees and foliage.

Just like last time...

This wasn't the first time she had experienced this dream before, although the previous times she could only look around her surrounding before waking up, but for some reason, it always made her nervous when she woke up, her heart beating considerably fast, she didn't know why.

This time, she had control of her body, she could move around.

How was I aware that this was a dream? She thought to herself. She remembered her pops telling that there was a word to describe someone being able to have control of their dreams. "Lucid" was the word used.

Patience started walking, no specific direction in mind, just wherever she felt was the right way, there weren't any roads or signs that could point her to a place. The forest was quiet, too quiet. No birds chirping, no leaves rustling, only the sound of her own heartbeat.

What is this place anyway? Why am I here? She wondered, but all it did was lead to even more questions with no answers.

Just then, out in the distance, Patience noticed something. The blue figure stood out among the green background, it had orange looking fins on its cheeks.

Wait a minute... Ian?

She broke into a dash, catching up to her best friend, hoping he'd know what was going on. When she reached Ian, she reached her hand out to try to get his attention.

But her hand went right through him, Ian disappeared right before her eyes, shocking her.

"Patience..." An echo voice said, it wasn't from anyone she was familiar with. Scared, she started running forward, she didn't know where she was going, but she had to run from wherever that voice came from.

"You cannot run from the past, Patience," Another voice said, a female one this time. "the cycle will go on forever unless it is stopped."

"It? What are you talking about?! Who are you?!" She yelled into the empty forest.

"Tenebrosam Materia..."

"What?" Patience didn't know what it meant, nor did she even know what language she was speaking, more questions raced through her head, but there were no answers. She continued running for what seemed like hours, until she saw something again.

It was Ian again, he was down on his knees, laying next to what seemed like a statue of the Expedition Society emblem, there was one thing that made the whole thing unsettling to Patience.

Ian was crying.

Confused and reluctant, Patience continued forward, knowing she had no other choice, no matter how dreadful the scene may be. He reached out to the crying Ian, but was greeted with the same result, her hand went right through the mudfish Pokemon. Patience noticed that there was something on the base of the statue, it was a sign albeit rather dusty. She placed her hand on the sign, to her surprise it was solid and wasn't an illusion, she brushed the dust of the sign to read what was written on it, what she discovered made every hair on her body stand up.

"In memory of Patience, who lost her life doing what she loved. She may no longer be with us physically, but she will always be in our hearts.

Rest in peace."

Patience fell to her knees in disbelief, the around world her shattered, like it was her own psyche that was breaking. She couldn't be dead, she CAN'T be dead. This was just a dream! Or is it...? Nothing made sense to her, she couldn't accept this.

I am not dead! I am NOT DEAD!

"Your fate has already been determined," A voice said. "you cannot change it."

"No no no no no no!" Patience yelled, clasping her head. "This is just a dream! This is just a dream!"

Patience watched as the forest grew closer and closer to her, she felt claustrophobic, as if she was going to be crushed. She closed her eyes as tightly as she could, hoping, praying as she repeated the words over and over again.

"It is just a dream... It is just a dream..."

* * *

Patience jolted out of her bed, gasping for air, her heart beating faster than ever. She looked around her, she was still in their room in the Expedition Society.

"Are you alright? You got up in quite a shock."

Patience turned around and saw Ian, eyes partially opened. Patience tried replying, but no words came out of her mouth, she was shaking and Ian noticed that as well.

"Relax, inhale, count to three and exhale. Can you do that?"

Patience nodded and did as instructed. She inhaled and counted to three.

One... Two... Three...

She exhaled, she repeated the process again, until she finally felt calm.

"All better?" Ian asked.

"Yeah... I feel better now, thanks." Patience said.

Ian wrapped his hand around Patience, comfortably patting the fire fox Pokemon.

"It was just a dream, everything's all right now." Ian said, he didn't know why, but he was reminded of when Nuzleaf came to him when he had awoken from a terrible nightmare as well back in Serene Village.

Patience wanted to tell Ian about what she saw, everything, but decided not to. She knew it was only a dream, she does not have to get worked up about it. But she still felt uncomfortable going back to sleep again, in fear that the nightmare would come back again.

"C-can I sleep closer to you Ian?" She asked.

"If that's what you want sure." Ian replied, he didn't mind Patience sleeping next to him again, he was too tired to object anyway.

The two Pokemon got back into their beds, Patience moving hers closer to Ian's.

"Get some sleep." Ian said. "It's a going a be long day ahead for us."

Patience agreed, it was their first days as members of the Expedition Society. Wouldn't want to give a bad image by sleep walking through the halls. She closed her eyes and started to fall asleep, she was at first nervous of going back to sleep, to be greeted with the nightmare again, but she no longer did, there was someone close by he could lean on, someone who protected her even when he wasn't aware of it.

She fell into a deep sleep and all was peaceful again, as a new day awaits.


	42. First Day On The Job

"And that concludes today's morning roll call," Ampharos said, standing in from of all the Expedition Society members. "give it your all out there team!"

"Yes sir!" Everyone yelled in unison, as everyone split from the group, some leaving the headquarters, while some remained. Ian and Patience awkwardly remained standing, unsure as to what to do next.

"Ah, you two." Ampharos called out. "I would ask you to come to my office so Dedenne could explain a few things to you, but you should head over to Glaceon for a medical test."

"A test?! I didn't know there's going to be a test!" Ian exclaimed. "I didn't study medicine!"

"Relax Ian, it's just a few questions on your health," Ampharos reassured. "it's standard procedure.

The mudfish Pokemon breathed a sigh of relief, he was never a fan of unexpected tests, even back in Serene Village's school.

"Now run along now," Ampharos said. "time waits for no Pokemon." The lighthouse Pokemon went up the stairs, as Ian and Patience decided to turn to their left and headed down the end of the corridor towards the infirmary. The door was open, inside was Glaceon writing something down on a notepad. The infirmary was smaller than expected, a window of the view of Lively Town, counters connected together packed with all sorts of bottles in a variety of colours and two beds and the end of the room.

"Ah, Ian and Patience!" She greeted, ushering the two Pokemon to come in. "I'm sure Ampharos has informed you of the medical test?"

"Yeah, but I have to ask," Ian said. "what's the purpose of this test?"

"I was about to explain to why." Glaceon replied. "About six months ago, one of our Society members whom I shall not name came back from an expedition carrying a disease and let's just say it spread to the rest of us."

"Oh dear..." Patience said.

"Long story short I cured everyone and now this test and a monthly health checkup of all the members are mandatory. Now let's begin this test."

She placed the notebook by the counter and grabbed a clipboard next to it.

"I'm going to ask a couple of questions, and you two are going to answer honestly, do you understand?"

Ian and Patience nodded in acknowledgement.

"Alright then, question one: When was the last time you have fallen sick?"

"Not in recent memory." Ian replied, which was technically true, considering he's only been in this world for almost a month.

"Does getting a cold for playing on the rain for too long count?" Patience said.

"I suppose..." The fresh snow Pokemon said, as she started writing down on the clipboard. "Second question: Have you been critically injured before?"

Ian looked over at Patience, deciding that it was better for him to explain.

"Well, Patience has." The mudfish Pokemon said. "She got badly hurt once and I had to patch her up."

"My wounds feel sore every now and then, but other than that I feel fine now." Patience added.

"You know basic first aid knowledge? That's impressive for a child like you." Glaceon complimented. "Alright, question number three: What is the worst case of a status condition you have received?"

"Yeah, it was just yesterday when we were going through Gentle Slope Cave when I saw this... purple thing lying on the ground, thinking it was some kind of odd berry I decided to eat it in one bite, and suddenly I was on fire, guess that wasn't the best idea." Ian said.

"Oh dear! That's Grimy Food! Has no one warned about the dangers of eating it?!"

Ian shook his head, much to her shock.

"Well, just be careful next time. Although Grimy Food is still a type of food that could be eaten, it's not the most ideal choice of consumption for it will give you harmful side effect and should be avoided at all times, only in an emergency should you eat it so that you won't faint from starvation."

"Noted." Ian said.

"And what about you Patience?"

"Well, there was this one time I got hit by Poison Powder by a wild Pokemon back in Serene Village, it was pretty scary experience and my pops looked like he was about to have a heart attack."

"I see..." Glaceon said. "Alright then, that's all the questions I have to ask, and I'm happy to say you're healthy enough to be cleared for expeditions."

"Really? That's all?" Ian asked.

Glaceon nodded. "You two healthiest among everyone else in the Expedition Society, which makes sense considering you're just kids. Anyway, that's all I needed for, so off you go!"

Ian and Patience looked at each other and left the room, leaving the doctor alone with her thoughts.

"Welp, back to bed then, my work is done for now." Glaceon said, as she laid in one of the infirmary beds, closing her eyes to be transported to her happy place.

* * *

"Holy mother of..." Patience said in awe.

Although Ian had always assumed the Expedition Society was pretty technologically advanced, withthe Expedition Gadget it's crowning achievement, he wasn't prepared for what he saw when they were heading up to the second floor to meet with Ampharos.

A globe, stood in the centre of the room, the kicker was that it was holographic, just like the map they have on their Expedition Gadget. The globe showed a map of the world, with multiple continents stretched across it, red dots scattered across the land.

"T-this is the Pokemon Nexus! Pretty much the encyclopaedia of the world, and the many dungeons that exists!" Patience exclaimed in excitement and shock

"I see you've done your homework, Patience."

Ian and Patience turned to the source of the voice to find Ampharos, standing by a door that was closed previously.

"That is indeed the Pokemon Nexus," Ampharos said as walked up to Ian and Patience. "built by none other than Jirachi himself. The ultimate goal of the Expedition Society is to complete a map of the world, the Pokemon Nexus is how we are going to do it, every time the Nexus is updated by our members whenever they've explored a new dungeon, it'll then be added on the map." Ampharos explained.

"Does that mean we can update the Pokemon Nexus as well?" Ian asked.

"Of course! In fact, why don't you try it now? Just insert your Expedition Gadget into that slot there and see what new dungeon would pop up."

Ian examined the base of the Pokemon Nexus and noticed a hexagonal hole, he took out his Expedition Gadget and noticed it was the same shape as the hole, his instincts immediately had him placing his Gadget into slot, a satisfying 'click' sound was made. The holographic globe then glowed bright blue, almost blinding Ian for how sudden it was.

'UPDATE COMPLETE' scrolled across the globe, as it turned and a single red dot appeared on the Water Continet, exactly where Serene Village is located. The words 'Ancient Barrow' appeared above it.

"Ancient Barrow huh." Ampharos said, intrigued of this new dungeon. "And in Serene Village for that matter, what is that about?"

"It's...a long story." Patience said.

"I see," Ampharos said. "regardless, please come with me to my office."

Ian and Patience did as told and followed the Expedition Society leader to his office, leaving the Pokemon Nexus. When they entered the room, Dedenne was there, standing over some papers twice her size and reading them.

"Ah, Ian and Patience." Dedenne greeted. "Before you finally head off to your duties, I need to explain the Society Communication Codes to you."

"Society Comuni- what now?" Patience said, confused.

"Here, please read this paper carefully." Dedenne handed them a piece of paper. Ian examined the paper.

* * *

The Expedition Society Communication Codes

FOR EXPEDITION SOCIETY MEMBERS ONLY!

Listed below are the codes used when communicating using the Expedition Gadget.

Green- General message for the ears of all the Expedition Society members.

Orange- Message to be sent to a specific Expedition Society member.

Red- Emergency, the Expedition Society leader contacts everyone to instruct further details.

Black- A member is MIA, WIA or KIA.

* * *

"Wait, why aren't we able to contact a certain member directly?" Ian asked.

"Well you see, the Expedition Gadget uses a specific electrical frequency to direct messages to and fro. As a electric type, I am able to receive these messages. Jirachi is still trying to figure out a way to make pinpoint communication work, but then I wouldn't have a job anymore now would I?"

"Hah! Don't worry so much Dedenne!" Ampharos said. "You're always welcomed to help out with the other members with their errands." Dedenne scoffed at that comment.

"Wait, what does MIA, WIA and KIA mean?" Patience asked.

Dedenne expression changed at the mention of it. Ian had a feeling that he isn't going to like where this is going.

"Wounded In Action, Missing In Action and..." Dedenne trailed off for a bit, before building the courage to finish her sentence. "...Killed In Action."

Patience was shocked when she heard the antenna Pokemon's reply. Ian as well. It made him realised that not everything was all fun and rainbows when it came to reality, dungeon exploration was a rather dangerous thing to do, which could potentially lead to injury...

...or death

"I see..." Ian said.

"Anyway, that about covers what I wanted to see you for," Dedenne said. "you should get back to your duties, and try to be back by dinner! Swirlix gets excited when leftovers are found."

Ian and Patience nodded as they left the room, heading down the stairs and exited the headquarters, the bright morning sun shone upon Lively Town.

"So, business as usual then?" Ian asked.

"Yep." Patience replied. "Race you to the gates!"

"Wait what?" Before Ian could even react, Patience was already running off, leaving the mudfish Pokémon confused.

Oh no you don't fire fox, I ain't going down that easy!

Ian broke into a dash, chasing after Patience, as the two continue with their explorations, now under the Expedition Society.

It's a bright new day, and new adventures and discoveries to be made. The Hydroflames are eager to live their new lives as Expedition Society members.

* * *

A/N: I'm back guys! I hope this didn't take too long to write!

(Checks calendar and realizes it's been two weeks since the last update)

Ah crap... I'm really sorry for the two week delay. I have two reasons. The first one being I honestly had no mood to write these past two weeks, I also had other things to do like school work, et cetera, et cetera.

The second, more important thing is that someone tried to plagiarize my story, the user goes by the name of Dylan Vanmatre, and just story: Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon Hydroblaze is a complete copy of mine only changing the names.

He had taken down the story since then, but has now DONE IT AGAIN under the same name, now plagiarizing WonderOfMagic39's story, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon Regal Grass and Passionate Flames.

I will not stand for it, please report Dylan's story for copyright infringement not once but TWICE in less than a month, this cannot be tolerated.

Anyway, with that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off.

Edit: Dylan has removed the story, but be on the lookout if he ever tried this again)


	43. Settling In

"We sure did a good job today huh Ian?" Patience asked as she walked past the gates of Lively Town.

"I wouldn't call getting utterly annihilated by a fake invite to someone's house which turned out to be a Monster House and just barely escaping successful." Ian said.

"Oh hush now." Patience said.

The sun was already setting, the sky glowed a dark orange as it slowly turns to night. Shops were starting to close up, the children are starting go back home after another day of playing.

It has been a week since Ian and Patience had joined the Expedition Society, they had taken this time to get to know the local residents, do a few expeditions and also attempt to fill in the Pokemon Nexus, it had been tiring, but the two had finally started settle into their new environment.

Just then, ahead of them was Milktank. She delivers Moomoo Milk to everyone in town, every day. Ian has tried it once, and it was the best milk he had ever tasted, although he had to push back the thought of where the milk actually came before he could enjoy it.

"Good evening Ian and Patience!" Milktank greeted. "How was your expedition today?"

"It was a cluster-"

"It was great Milktank! Thanks for asking!" Patience interrupted Ian, to his annoyance.

"Well that's good to hear!" Milktank said. "Here, you can have these."

The milk cow Pokemon handed two bottles of Moomoo Milk from her basket, which the two gladly accepted before parting ways with her as they headed back to the Expedition Society.

"Let's hope we're not too late for dinner." Ian said. "I don't want Swirlix eating up our food again."

"Then let's move then!" Patience said, as she broke into a dash, Ian immediately followed, not going to be left behind again as the two ran for the Expedition Society Headquarters.

* * *

Two days, we only have two days left...

Ampharos sat at his desk and read the letter send by the supposed culprit of the Pokemon being turned into stone incident for the twentieth time. He grew more frustrated the closer the dateline got before he strikes again.

What is it that I'm missing? Ampharos thought. If the culprit is expecting us to try and find him, no doubt he would have left a clue to his next target. Ampharos sighed, got up from his desk and decided to head downstairs, his internal clock, that being his stomach, told him that it was dinner time, he opened the door and lazily made his way to the dining room.

Come on Ampharos, think! You're the leader of the Expedition Society not because of your good looks! Use that brain of yours to connect the dots and bring this culprit to jus-

His train of thought was interrupted when he realize he missed a step on the stairs, causing him to lose his balance and went tumbling down the stairs, face planting onto the floor.

Real smooth Ampharos, real smooth. He looked up, and saw the Fennekin, Patience, looking at him in shock.

"Oh, hello there Patience!" He greeted. "Where's your friend?"

Patience pointed downwards and the lighthouse Pokemon looked down and noticed a blue fin sticking out from his body, to his shock, he quickly got up to see Ian laying on the ground.

"Oh my! My apologies Ian!" He said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah yeah, I'm doing perfectly fine right now, thanks for asking." Ian mumbled to himself as he slowly got back up on his feet. "I think I felt every bone in my body cracked."

"Spewing snarky comments immediately after being crushed by a bigger Pokemon," Patience said. "yep he's definitely alright."

Ampharos breathed a sigh of relief, not only that his colleague was safe, but he really didn't want Officer Magnezone to come knocking on his door for worker negligence.

That could have gone really badly.

* * *

Ian sat quietly in the dining room chewing on his food, his body still ached like hell from Ampharos crushing him just a few minutes ago. He looked up from his food and saw the rest of the Expedition Society members eating as well, Archen and Patience sat next to him while Glaceon was sitting across from him. It was surprising to the mudfish Pokemon how much he could determine the other members personality just by the way of how they eat.

Patience, Buizel, Swirlix, Archen and Ampharos ate their food quickly, chewing on their food for a few seconds before swallowing and moving on to the next food. They also are the members that made the loudest noise on the dinner table, chatting and laughing the loudest. It showed how hot blooded, energetic they were, probably willing to take risks and relied on gut feeling.

Ian, Gadget, Mawile, Glaceon, Dedenne, Jirachi and Bunnelby ate more delicately. Quietly eating their food and usually only making small talk. It showed how they were more calm, collected, would rationalize with what they have before making an action on something and relied on information rather than instincts.

Well, that was what Ian thought anyway, he's probably just trying to distract his mind from his aching body while eating his plate of Blue Gummis.

"So how was your day today?" Archen asked.

"It was pretty good actually." Patience said, food still in her mouth. "Speaking of which Archen, how come we never seem to see you around here going on expeditions around here? Where do you go?"

"Ah, so you've noticed?" Archen said, as he finished a piece of apple. "Well you see, I usually go on expeditions that are not on the Water Continent."

"Not on the Water Continent?!" Patience exclaimed.

"International expeditions huh?" Ian said. "How do you even go there?"

"Lapras over by the dock takes me to the other continents," Archen replied. "hey, I have an errand I have to do for Glaceon in the Air Continent, do you two want to tag along?"

Patience's eyes lit up in excitement with the offer, so much that she nearly dropped her food.

"Of course! I've always wanted to see the rest of the world!" The fire fox Pokemon replied.

"Sure, why not?" Ian said.

"I'm coming along as well."

The three turned to across the table to see Glaceon who was the one who said that.

"You are?" Archen asked.

"The last time I asked you to get medical supplies for me from the Air Continent, you came back with a box full of Perfect Apples instead of Oren Berries!" She lectured, to Archen's embarrassment.

"Which Swirlix and the chief finished in a single night..." He added.

"So yeah, I don't want you making the same mistake again, I'm coming along this time. I think our new recruits could use this as a learning experience as well."

Ampharos, although sat at the other end of table heard the conversation.

"Archen? Please see me after dinner please."

"Yes chief." He said, confused as to what is that about. "Anyway, we leave for the Air Continent first thing in the morning, it's a five hour ride to the Air Continent, so I hope you don't get sea sick easily."

Oh dear, five hours. Ian thought. Although never riding on a Lapras through the sea before, he felt like was going to be the one in the group to throw up overboard first.

The thought of it made him nervous, very very nervous.

* * *

"What's this about chief?" Archen asked as he entered Ampharos's office.

"You said you were heading to the Air Continent?" Ampharos asked.

"Yes?"

"I want you to look out for anything suspicious, anything that could potentially be our suspect."

Archen was confused for a second before finally realizing he meant the turning to stone incidents.

"You think that's where his next target might be?" Archen asked. "But if that's the case we don't even know where he will strike, he could be anywhere on the Air Continent!"

Archen had a point, he was only rolling on a hunch here, for all he knew he could be on the Mist Continent. But he lacked the time and manpower to go searching every continent in the world for the culprit, it was also really impractical. He hoped his assumption would be right.

"Just report to me if anything comes up, understood?"

"Yes sir." Archen said.

"You're dismissed."

Archen nodded and left the office, leaving Ampharos alone with his thoughts. He opened a drawer under his desk and removed a bottle of Shuckle Juice he always kept for stressful moments like this. He opened it and took a big gulp of it, the overwhelming sweetness flooded his tastebuds and made him for that short moment forget about everything that was going on, as he rested on his seat, enjoying every second of it.

Life's good when you're don't have the burden of millions of Pokemon on your back.

* * *

"The Air Continent..." Patience muttered to herself as she looked at her map using her Expedition Gadget, the continent was directly east of where they were.

"To explore the world at such a young age, it has to be quite a blessing. The mere thought of it just excites me so much I don't think I can sleep tonight! What do you say Ian... Ian?"

Patience looked up from her Expedition Gadget and saw Ian, sitting at the table and drinking his bottle of Moomoo Milk, finishing it instantly. He placed the bottle on the table and let out a loud burp, to Patience's annoyance.

"What?" Ian innocently asked. "Were you saying something?"

Patience sighed. "Never mind, I'm off to bed now."

"You not going to drink your Moomoo Milk?"

"Nah, you can have it." Patience said as she laid down on her bed and fell asleep. Ian, confused at what was that about, simply shrugged and went to Patience's bag and took out her bottle of Moomoo Milk.

"More for me then."


	44. Journey To The Air Continent

Excerpts from The Grass Continent: The Land of Time.

Time Gears are mystical artefacts that are scattered across the Grass Continent. Said to be created by Dialga, the Pokemon of time, to maintain the flow of time across the continent. Why or how he created these artefacts remain a mystery.

Following the Time Gear Incident that nearly saw the planet's paralysis, safety measures have been taken to protect the Time Gears to ensure nothing like it ever happens again.

* * *

"Welcome to the Lapras Express! Where may I take you today?"

"Wait, you're Lapras?" Ian asked the blue aquatic Pokemon that was in front of him.

"Off course child, who else did you think I was?" Lapras said, she looked down at the badge that was on his scarf and recognized it as the Expedition Society badge. "You must be the new recruits I've heard so much from the residents."

"Indeed we are!" Patience said, pumping her chest out in pride.

Ian still felt sleepy, they had woken up at the break of dawn to get prepared for the journey to the Air Continent. Glaceon had told them not to eat anything before heading off. 'Because a full stomach and motion sickness is going to be a bad time.' She said.

"Please your pass please." Lapras said.

"P-pass?" Patience asked. "What pass?"

"Oh yeah I forgot about that," Glaceon said. "you guys need to buy a pass to a continent so you can travel on Lapras Express, she has to make a living somehow you know."

"And where can we buy this pass?" Ian asked.

"At the Kecleon store, costs two thousand Poké per Pokemon." Lapras replied.

"TWO THOUSAND?!" Ian and Patience both exclaimed in shock. They just barely have enough in their savings to afford one pass, how were they suppose to get another one?

"Don't worry I got you two covered."

As if he had read their minds, Archen finally arrived, two square looking objects in hand.

"Archen...!" Patience said. "Did you-?!"

"Ampharos's paying for this one." The first bird Pokemon said. "Consider it a welcome gift from him." He handed the two passes to Ian and Patience. The pass was a piece of paper wrapped in plastic, the words "Air Continent" written on it, at the back of the pass was the location of said continent on the map.

"Very well then." Lapras said. "How about you two, do you have passes?"

Archen and Glaceon reached into their Expedition bag and took out passes identical to Ian and Patience's.

"Silly me, you've traveled to the Air Continent multiple times, of course you would have passes." Lapras said, scratching her head in embarrassment. "Hop on and we'll set off."

The four Expedition Society members climbed onto Lapras's back. Ian thought that it would be pretty crammed, considering how small Lapras's back is, but it was surprisingly spacious, with enough room for everyone.

"All aboard!" Lapras announced. "Setting sail for the Air Continent!" She started swimming, Ian and Patience watched as Lively Town slowly get further and further from them, eventually disappearing off the horizon.

"Hey Patience," Ian called out. "would you mind waking me up when we get there? I'm going to catch up on some sleep."

"Will do, partner." She happily obliged.

Satisfied with the response, Ian laid back on Lapras and watched the blue sky above, slowly closing his eyes until he finally fell asleep.

* * *

"Sister! Sister wake up!"

Latias awoke to her brother, Latios shaking her up.

"Wha...? What is it Latios?" The eon Pokemon asked, yawning.

"We have to go, now!" Latios yelled. "They found us, we need to get out of here!"

"What are you talking about? Who found us?" Latias asked.

"It's them! The ones that turned Phione into stone!"

Latias eyes widened at the mentioned of Phione, she quickly got up from her bed, giving Latios her full attention.

"How do you know?" She asked.

Latios handed her a piece of paper that he had been holding. The words 'YOU'RE NEXT' was written on the paper, behind it was a blue, oval shaped object taped to the paper.

A Phione Dew...

Latias froze, her heart sank into her stomach as she started shivering in fear.

"What do we do...?" She asked her brother, passing the paper back to him.

"I know a friend, she lives in the Air Continent who might be able to help us out." Latios said.

The Air Continent, Latias had never been there for a long time, not since that incident when a stray meteor fragment struck her wing and she crashed into the mountain below. She shook that thought out of her head. Southern Island, their home, was about 30 kilometers from the Grass Continent mainland. The two of them should be able to fly to the Air Continent in about two hours, slightly shorter if they pushed themselves to the limit.

"Gather whatever you can and we leave as soon as possible. Whoever turned Phione into stone is coming for us next," Latios said, grabbing a bag and hastily stuffing whatever supplies he could get into it.

"and they're not going stop until we're gone."

* * *

"Get up Ian, we'll be arriving soon."

Ian opened his eyes to be greeted with Patience shaking him awake. Judging by the groggy expression on her face, she had also just woken up. The mudfish Pokemon slowly pushed himself up and saw Archen and Glaceon, who were looking onwards in the direction of where Lapras was heading to.

"Quite the sight isn't it?" Archen said.

"I'll never get tired of the beautiful scenery." Glaceon added.

Ian and Patience turned to look ahead and were shocked at what they saw. Ahead of them was a land, a town situated on a hill and was covered in a lush green field. At the centre of town were three, thirty metres tall windmills, slowly moving with the pace of the wind. It was truly a sight to behold.

"Wow! I've never seen anything like it!" Patience exclaimed.

Ian simply nodded, no words could describe how breathtaking the view was.

Lapras reached the docks and stopped by a wooden platform for passengers to get down. The four Expedition Society members got off Lapras, Ian noticed that the air here was surprisingly cooler than it was back at Lively Town. He wasn't sweating bullets like he was under the blazing summer sun.

"Thank you for riding Lapras Express!" Lapras said. "I will remain here until you wish to return back to Lively Town."

"Thank you Lapras." Archen said as he waved her goodbye.

"So, what now?" Patience asked.

"Well, I still have to get my supplies from the Kecleon shop." Glaceon replied. "What do you plan on doing?"

As if on queue, a loud rumbling noise took them by surprise, it had came from Ian, who scratched his head embarrassingly.

"Well, some food would be a start, I'm starving."

* * *

"Come on Latias! We're almost there!" Latios said.

"I-I can't! I can't go on any longer!" Latias said.

The two had been flying for the past 2 hours, going as far as they could to Mystical Forest, where Latios had a friend there. Latias couldn't continue on, her whole body felt numb and tired. She started to reduce her speed.

"I can't go on... I really need a break..." Latias said, panting and wheezing.

Latios sighed, they really couldn't waste any time, at the speed they were going, they were pretty much easy pickings by whoever that decide to attack them.

But, she was still his sister, it was his duty to take care of her.

The eon Pokemon slowed his speed to match Latias, putting a hand over her to ensure she breathed normally.

"Listen, I know this is hard," Latios said. "but I'm proud that you've been doing well so far, it's only a matter of time before we-"

Slowing down proved to be his fatal mistake, Latios had dropped his guard and failed to see the purple beam that was heading straight for them, his immediate reaction was to shield his sister from the attack, grabbing her and keeping her as close as possible.

The last thing they saw was a dark, purplish light, that consumed them, before everything went black.

* * *

"Here you go! One Gummi Extreme for the three of you!" Kangaskhan said, placing a plate of a Gummis in a variety of colours.

Ian, Patience and Archen sat at table just outside Barem Town's Cafe Connection. The town had all the same facilities as there were back at Lively Town, it was a relief for Ian to still see familiar things in a land unknown to him. Ian watched the busy, noisy town centre, filled with Pokemon going about their business, chatting loudly or gossiping.

So basically Lively Town, Ian thought. But much cooler literally and figuratively.

"Helloooooo? Earth to Ian? If you're not going to eat the Gummis then I will." Patience called out, nudging her friend out of his daydream.

Ian, not wanting anyone to eat his precious blue Gummi, had his lightning reflexes take the Gummi from the plate and shoving it down his mouth, barely even chewing it.

"Nice try Patience." He said, to which she simply grunted.

"Careful now, the last thing I want happening is you choking on your food." Archen joked.

"One Blast Seed is enough to remove any food stuck in your throat."

Glaceon walked in and sat next to Archen, she was placed a small box on the table.

"What's that?" Patience asked.

"The supply of Oren Berries I needed." She replied.

"Wait, you said Oren Barry, isn't it called Oran Barry?" Ian asked.

"I see you've noticed," Glaceon said. "well you see, an Oren Barry is not actually the Oran Barry that you're used to eating. It's actually a very odd food that when eating you'll- Wait, what's that?"

Everyone turned to see where Glaceon was pointing, in the distance, high up in the sky. Two, small black dots tainted the bright blue sky. A few other Pokemon had noticed it as well and were looking at it in confusion.

Ian squinted his eye as hard as he could to see if he could make out what the strange object was, he could make out wings of sorts. The object grew bigger and bigger every second it was only then Ian and the others realized to their horror.

The object was falling straight for them.

Before Ian could even react, the flew over the town, a thunderous 'whoosh' was made. Everyone in the town stopped from their daily routine as they turned around to see where the object was headed. It continued falling for a few seconds before disappearing into the tall trees at the outskirts of town. A loud crash was heard shortly after.

"What the hell was that?!" A Pokemon said.

"Was that a Pokemon?!"

"Oh Arceus! Have mercy on our souls!"

Everyone had gathered at a bridge that was the exit of town, loud chatters could be heard coming from them.

"Who should go investigate?"

"Officer Magnezone wouldn't be able to get here on time! Someone's got to see what just happened!"

"We'll go."

The crowd turned to the source of the voice, it was Archen. Ian, Patience and Glaceon standing next to him.

"And who might you be?" A purple, scorpion looking Pokemon asked.

"My name is Archen, and we're from the Expedition Society!" He removed his badge from his body and showed it to the crowd, Ian could make out whispers coming from them.

"The Expedition Society? What's that?"

"Is that the organization from the Water Continent? What are they doing here?"

"Whatever the reason, it's a damn good thing they're here!"

The purple scorpion Pokemon approached Archen and took a closer look at the badge. He examined it for a few seconds, before smiling and nodding in approval.

"Very well, we can leave this matter in your hands, my name is Skorupi and I'm resident of Barem Town." He said. "From the looks of it, the object crashed into the Mystical Forest."

Glaceon quickly took out her Expedition Gadget and opened the map of the Air Continent.

"There," She said, the holographic map zooming in on a red dot near Barem Town. "Mystical Forest isn't far from here."

"Alright team, lets go!" Archen called out.

"Before you do, there's something you need to know." Skorupi said. "We got news from our local Castform who said that a freak storm was fast approaching, I recommend you get there, find out whatever that's happening there and high tail it back here before the storm arrives."

"Got it." Archen replied.

The four Expedition Society members broke into a dash and ran as far as they could. Ian and Patience tried their best to keep with the Glaceon and Archen, who were much faster runners. The mudfish Pokemon turned to look at his partner, who had a concerned look on her face, he too was worried as to what they are getting themselves into.

I have a bad feeling about this. Ian thought.

* * *

A/N: For some reason you guys sure love shipping Ian and Patience. After looking through my story again, I guess I can see why.

But if you want a better Pokemon Mystery Dungeon romance fic, you should check out The Story of Team Fate, an Explorers of Sky fanfiction by flareon71, it has a much better romance plot than I have.

Anyway, with that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	45. The Expedition Society members backstory

A/N: Not exactly what you expected, but I felt like posting this so that I don't have to write their backstories again in later chapters

* * *

Ampharos: Leader of the Expedition Society. Born and raised in a small village to the north of the Water Continent, he created the Expedition Society after being inspired by stories of exploration and rescue teams. Cunning and bold, he leads his Society with courage and pride, albeit showing off while he's at it.

Mawile: Ampharos's second in command. Once a member of Team Frontier in the Grass Continent, she joined Ampharos after bumping into each other in an adventure. Rational and smart, she is looked up as a role model by everyone in the Expedition Society.

Dedenne: The Expedition Society's communication's specialist. Unlike the other members of the Society, Dedenne is a resident of Lively Town and stays with her family there. Although she is small in size, one Nuzzle from her could stun any Pokemon that go against her.

Buizel: Born and raised in the South Sea, Buizel joined the Expedition Society seeking adventure and glory. Although hot-headed and reckless at times, he always gets the job done.

Bunnelby: Raised from a family of miners in the Sand Continent, he broke from the family tradition after realizing mining was boring to him. After traveling the world for a few months and ending up at Lively Town, he joined the Expedition Society.

Archen: Born and raised from a team of explorers, the excitement of adventure runs in his blood. He had heard of the Expedition Society from his parents. His job as an international explorer is traveling the world and taking on jobs in other continents.

Swirlix: Raised in a family of chefs in the Air Continent, she is the Expedition Society's steward. Her goal is to find the Never Hungries Treasures to become a world class chef. Although her gluttonous behavior usually gets the better of her.

Jirachi: Born and grew up in Star Cave in the Grass Continent. He joined the Expedition Society because he got bored of being in Star Cave for so long. He is the creator of both the Expedition Gadget and the Pokemon Nexus.

Gadget: The Expedition Society's toughest member. She was raised in Amp Plains in the Grass Continent, she joined the Expedition Society after Ampharos trained and mentored her. She seeks vengeance on the culprit who turned her family into stone.

Glaceon: The Expedition Society's doctor, she was one a member of a team of traveling doctors but left after certain circumstances. Her soft and caring personality makes her a favorite among the other members of the Society.


	46. Stone Cold

Archen had always been strong when it came to keeping his cool. He had been in the Expedition Society for about five years now, the rest of his life was also spent exploring dungeons with his parents. He had seen many terrifying things that would make any normal Pokemon panic, but learned to remained calm and analyze the situation.

But nothing could have prepared him for what laid in front of him.

In front of Archen, buried in a few centimeters of dirt and rock, was the eon Pokemon Latios, turned into stone.

"Well there's your problem." Ian commented.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Patience said, clenching her stomach.

Archen had to agree with Patience, he felt his stomach whirled, like there were Butterfrees inside. But he had to remain calm, he was in charge of the team and the mission.

"Weren't there two objects that fell from the sky?" Archen asked.

"Yeah, is it another Pokemon as well?" Ian asked.

"It's the other half of the Eon Twins: Latias." Glaceon concluded. "I fear she might have met the same fate as her brother."

"You three go look for where Latias crashed," Archen ordered. "I'll keep looking for any clues."

Ian, Patience and Glaceon nodded and went off further into the Mystical Forest, leaving Archen alone with his thoughts. When he was sure the others were far enough, he let off a loud cuss.

Why? Why now of all times for something like this to happen...?! Archen thought. He knew about the warning from Ampharos, he knew that the culprit would take his next victim today, but why here, of all places?

He shook those thoughts out of his head, took a deep breath and exhaled. He had to stay focused, this wasn't the time to ask questions. He has a mystery to solve. Archen walked around the stone Latios, checking every nook and cranny to see if he could find any clues.

"There must be something the culprit may have left." Archen said to himself. Just then, in the corner of his eye, he noticed something peculiar, a patch of grass that was slightly darker than the rest. He approached it and placed his wings over it, it felt warm.

Scorch marks. Archen concluded. Could this have been left by the culprit? If so, the Pokemon they were looking for was most likely a fire type. Further inspection showed that the scorch marks were recent, no less than half an hour ago.

If that was case, then the culprit must still be nearby. The culprit most likely came to confirmed his kill, if he's already checked Latios, then...

Archen froze at that moment, realising a very disturbing conclusion.

The culprit was going to check on Latias, where Ian, Patience and Glaceon were heading.

Oh crap...

Archen heart pounded as he quickly broke into a dash in pursuit of the other Expedition Society members. The three of them were in danger, and he had to warn them.

Arceus please keep them safe...

* * *

"Look! Some fallen trees!" Patience pointed out. "Could they be where Latias had landed?"

"It looks like it." Glaceon replied. "Come on, let's go find out!"

Ian was lagging behind Patience and Glaceon, who had started running faster, leaving the tired mudfish Pokemon behind. He stopped in his tracks, panting heavily.

I'm really regretting my decision of devouring four apples in one go. Ian thought, he felt his stomach churning, as if he would throw up at any second. He resisted the urge to vomit, calming himself down.

"Now I know never to exercise immediately after a meal." Ian said to himself as he leaned his body on a tree. The mudfish Pokemon took a look around his environment, nothing but trees, as expected.

Hm? What's that?

Directly in front of him, underneath a tree, was something sticking out buried in a pile of dirt. Ian walked up to the dirt pile and began brushing the dirt off, it looked like a light blue ribbon, almost like his skin colour, but slightly lighter.

"Another ribbon?" Ian said. This wasn't the first time he had found ribbons, far from it. Every dungeon that he had explored, he would find at least one ribbon or bow, it was usually the same yellow and green striped bows that increased attack power of that sorts. But this ribbon, was different. Ian picked it up and was surprised with it being cold, almost as if he was holding snow. His hands shivered at the sudden change of temperature.

How did this even get here? Ian asked himself, curious how such an odd ribbon was buried in dirt. Either way, he had to show this to Patience when this is done.

"Hey Ian! Get over here quickly!" Patience called out from further ahead.

Speaking of Patience, there she is.

Ian placed the cold blue ribbon into his Expedition Bag, putting aside the questions he had regarding it and continuing on to why they were really here.

Once the mudfish Pokemon had caught up with the two girls, they were looking on at a huge hole almost as large as the one that had been caused by Latios's crash. Inside the hole, was another Pokemon, almost identical to Latios, but it seemed slightly smaller in size.

"Is that Latias?" Ian asked.

"Not unless the Eon twins turns out to have triplets." Glaceon joked, only to be replied with an awkward silence.

Just then, a loud thunder roared and startled the three Pokemon. They looked up and noticed that dark clouds suddenly covered the once clear blue sky. A few seconds later, rain drops started falling.

"Uh oh, the storm's coming in!" Ian said.

"And just when I groomed my fur!" Patience annoyingly exclaimed.

"Let's quickly take a look around and head back as soon as-"

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!"

A large inferno appeared before the Expedition Society members, the closest being Glaceon. The heat was intense, even though Ian wasn't close to it, he felt as if the heat could melt him alive. The inferno soon dispersed and inside was a Pokemon, nothing unlike anything they've seen before. It stood almost two meters tall, brown fur, sharp looking things protruding out of its back and an intimidating look that send chills down their spines.

"So it was you who turned Latios and Latias into stone!" The Pokemon aggressively said.

"W-who are you...?!" Ian nervously asked.

"I am Entei! The Volcano Pokemon and the last thing you'll see before I bring you to justice!"

"E-Entei?! As in the Legendary Pokemon Entei?!" Patience exclaimed. Ian was speechless, he wasn't sure whether it was from excitement of meeting a Legendary Pokemon, or fear because he wasn't here to chat.

He thinks that we were the ones who turned Latios and Latias into stone...?!

"But wait! It's not what you think! We weren't the ones who-"

"ENOUGH! I do not wish to hear your lies and pleads!" Entei exclaimed. "You will pay for everyone Pokemon you have turned into stone!"

"Uh... Glaceon? Now would be a good time to explain all this to him that this is all just a big misunderstanding." Ian said. However Glaceon didn't respond, he looked at Glaceon and noticed she was shaking uncontrollably, her pupils shrunk and she was breathing weirdly.

Glaceon was afraid.

"Glaceon! What's wrong?!" Ian asked, but again to no response. The ice Pokemon was mentally disconnected from the rest of the world.

"You tremble in fear possibly begging for mercy?" Entei wondered. "Very well, I'll grant you a quick death!"

Entei charged up a Fire Blast, and aimed it straight at Glaceon, who still remained unfazed. Ian turned to Patience, who was just as lost as to what to do, they couldn't just sit there and watch Glaceon be consumed in fire, but going up against a Legendary Pokemon like Entei was a death wish.

"Oh screw it!" Ian muttered. He dash forward to Patience's surprise towards Glaceon. Everything went by so quickly, Ian was in a state of focus and determination that he felt as if time had slowed down, he could see every individual raindrop that was falling, he could see Entei's Fire Blast heading straight towards Glaceon. Ian grabbed her and rolled to the side, just as a the Fire Blast blew past them. Ian felt his tail burning like crazy, if he was a second too late, he would have met the same fate as Glaceon. When Ian got up, still holding onto Glaceon, he turned her to face him and saw that she was still in a state of shock, her eyes remained widened and she was breathing even more sporadically. Ian shook the ice Pokemon in an attempt to snap her out of her faze.

"Glaceon! Come on, don't scare me like this!" Ian cried out, his voice cracked, his desperate pleas were He was truly concerned with his colleague, no, his friend's sudden change.

Entei approached Ian and Glaceon, compared to the two of them, he was like giant towering over and staring with rage in his eyes.

"A bold move risking your life for a friend." Entei patronised. "But you cannot escape your fate! Prepare to DIE!"

"Entei STOP!"

The volcano Pokemon turned to the source of the voice, Ian and Patience too who saw a reassuring face.

It was Archen.

"Archen The Flightless...?!" Entei said in shock. "Son of the great Team Blazing Griffin?"

"Aye, that's a name I've not heard in such a long time." Archen said. "You have it all wrong Entei, these three are not the culprits but are actually members of the Expedition Society!"

Archen held up his Expedition Society badge, high enough to that Entei could see it. He looked at the badge, then to the three other Pokemon, upon closer inspection he noticed the same badges clipped on their body. Entei noticed it and suddenly felt embarrassed.

"M-my apologies..." Entei said. "I did not know that these three were with you."

"Well, now you do." Archen said. "How goes your search for the culprit?

"My search has been fruitless," Entei replied. "my search has led me here in search of Celebi."

"Celebi the time travel Pokemon?" Archen asked. "But what help would Celebi be?"

"I will tell you in due time, for this storm is getting out of control."

It was only then Archen had noticed the intense rain that was pouring on him. The storm had gotten even more intense, the winds were starting to pick up, causing the trees to swirl around.

"We shall meet again, Entei." Archen said. Entei nodded, he turned around and leapt off, disappearing further into the forest. Archen breathed a sigh of relief, although it wasn't the first time he has met a Legendary Pokemon, the mere sight of one always scared him. The first bird Pokemon pushed those thoughts out of his head and remembered why he was here. He ran up to check on Ian and Glaceon who were still laying on the ground. Patience also approached them to check on her partner.

"W-what the heck was that?" Patience asked, regarding what she had just witness with Archen and Entei.

"Long story, I'll explain once we get back." Archen replied. "What happened to Glaceon?"

"I-I have no idea..." Ian said, firmly releasing his grasp on Glaceon. "She suddenly just froze up for no reason..."

Archen went up to her and tried getting her attention, snapping his fingers, but realising he doesn't have any fingers, but Glaceon still remained shocked.

"The fires of Hell... the fires of Hell..." Glaceon said repeatedly.

"We're not getting anywhere with this." Archen said, sighing in frustration. "We can deal with this when we get back, this storm is turning nasty."

As if on cue, a loud thunderstorm roared above, causing Glaceon to shriek in fear, squatting down and covering her face.

"Ian, carry Glaceon with you, I don't think she's moving a step." Archen ordered.

"What?! Why me?!" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"You seem capable of carrying things heavier than you, so get to it."

"Don't look at me, I can't carry a box without feeling like dying." Patience added.

Ian, feeling defeated, went ahead and grabbed Glaceon and held her onto his back. Archen and Patience broke into a dash and ran ahead of him, leaving him lagging behind.

"I am not getting paid enough for this..." Ian mumbled, walking as quickly as he could to catch up.

"Fire... despair..." Glaceon said.

"Hang in there Glaceon, everything's going to be alright." Ian reassured.

Ian wasn't sure if she had heard him, but her reply was the final nail in the coffin that made the mudfish Pokemon extremely concerned with Glaceon's state.

"Nothing is alright... For I can still hear their screams... The screams of those that perished..."

* * *

A/N: Well that got dark... I have no idea what was going through my head. A fair warning, the next chapter might get a little... dark in terms of theme. If you do not like it, I understand.

Also, I would like apologise for the three week delay, finals kept me from writing anything. But now that finals are done, I can finally write more often (WOO). Anyway, with that said, this is Ikcatcher signing off.


	47. Team Reviver

Entry #20

What a day. What was supposed to be a normal job of getting berries turned into a mystery of who turned Latios and Latias into stone. It was quite the disturbing sight, seeing what used to be flesh and blood turned completely into stone. Gives me the chills...

We're currently taking shelter at Barem Town's Cafe Connection, thank goodness this place has a few rooms for us to stay in for the night. The storm had gotten worse in the past few hours, heavy winds nearly blowing a few houses off, constant thunderstorms and heavy rainfall. It's as if Kyogre and Thunderous decided to screw with everyone.

Archen is busy trying to contact the Expedition Society, but with the thunderstorms outside, it makes things pretty difficult. Patience is busy grooming herself after getting soaked by the rain. 'A Fennekin's fur is their pride you know.' She said. And Glaceon, she's just staring blankly outside the window, she hasn't said a single word since we got here, even when I asked if she wanted anything to eat, she simply just shook her head.

I'm worried, what she said to me back in Mystical Forest really got me concerned. She looked like she seemed traumatized about something, and from the looks of it, I don't think the rest of the Expedition Society knows as well. I'll try to talk to her if I get the chance, see if I can find out what's bothering her.

* * *

"Finally! I got a connection with Dedenne!" Archen announced. Ian and Patience stood up from their chairs in anticipation. "I'm putting her on speaker now."

Wait, those things have speakers? Ian wondered. He noticed that the Expedition Gadget had a blinking green light at its side, was that to indicate the color communication code?

"Dedenne! Can you hear us?" Archen said.

"Ar...too... copy?" A static voice said, possibly Dedenne's.

"What did you say? I can't hear you!" But the sounds of static was his reply.

"The storm is interfering with communications," Ian said. "well that's just great."

* * *

"Archen, there's too much interference on your end, do you copy?" Dedenne said, but was only met with silence from the other end. Ampharos stood next to her, who was nervously waiting to hear from Archen and the others.

"Hold on Dedenne, I think I know a way to reach them," Ampharos said. "if I discharge a bit more electricity into you, that should be able to boost our communications."

"I have no idea how any of that would work." Dedenne commented. "But I guess it's worth a shot."

Ampharos was also just as doubtful that this would work, he had always left the science and techno babble to Jirachi. The lighthouse Pokemon was pretty sure that this was not how telecommunications work and that the Expedition Society's technician would give a two hour lecture on the subject, which he wasn't interested in. Ampharos placed his hand on Dedenne's head and carefully discharged a bit of electricity into her body, not enough for it to start hurting.

"Try again now." Ampharos said.

Dedenne nodded and tried hailing Archen again, small bolts of electricity flew out of her whiskers, traveling from the Expedition Society building all the way to the Expedition Gadget of wherever Archen, Ian, Patience and Glaceon were.

"This is Dedenne, Archen if you can hear this, please respond." Dedenne said, sending her message through the same frequency as Archen's Expedition Gadget.

"This is Archen! We read you loud and clear!" A voice came back and sent directly to her ears, as if Archen was actually in the room.

The antenna Pokemon turned to face Ampharos and nodded in approval, indicating that she had managed to contact Archen, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Huh, guess that actually worked. Take that Jirachi. Ampharos mentally smirked at that thought, knowing that his method that has never been done before actually worked. He shook that thought out of his head, wanting to maintain his professionalism.

"Patch me through." He ordered. Dedenne sent the electric waves straight to Ampharos's Expedition Gadget, acting as a repeater to link the two Expedition Gadgets. He took out his Gadget turned it on.

"This is Ampharos, is there a problem? You're not back yet."

"Sorry about that Chief, but there have been a few... complications." Archen said. The first bird Pokemon went on to explain what had happened with their time in the Air Continent, the two falling objects that crashed that turned out to be Latios and Latias turned into stone, Entei's odd appearance and Glaceon sudden freeze up.

"I see..." Ampharos said. "And you say there's a freak storm happening right now?"

"Lapras informed us that the ocean is too dangerous to sail back under this harsh weather, we can't go back until conditions have improved." Archen explained.

"Alright, keep me posted."

"Got it Chief."

Archen ended the call and Ampharos kept his Expedition Gadget.

"Well? What happened?" Dedenne asked. The lighthouse Pokemon let out a loud sigh before explaining everything to her.

"...so we got two MORE victims of being turned into stone, the sudden appearance of a Legendary Pokemon and Glaceon acting strange." Ampharos concluded.

"I'll go inform the others then." Dedenne said, she left Ampharos's office and shut the door leaving the Expedition Society chief alone.

Great... just great...

* * *

It wasn't often that Ian would grow bored, considering the fact that he was in completely unknown world with all kinds of interesting things to see. But when you're stuck in a building with nothing of interest to look at, all he could do is twiddle with his thumbs.

Archen was already fast asleep, snoring away in his bed. He must be really tired, which is understandable considering the stress of recent events. Archen had told him and Patience that the Expedition Society had been investigating these stone incidents for quite awhile now, it came to their attention when the first victims, all the inhabitants of Ragged Mountain on the Mist Continent mysteriously turned into stone, this got Pokemon scared and concerned, one of them being the Expedition Society.

"Is something wrong Ian?"

Ian jutted from his train of thought, nothing that it was Patience that called him.

"Y-yeah I'm fine." He replied. Patience simply shrugged and went back to reading a book she had bought back in Lively Town. Ian wasn't sure what the book was, every time he asked Patience what it was she simply evaded the question, sometimes even blushing.

What's so secretive about a book? Ian thought.

He slowly leaned his body to see the cover of the book, the title of the book told him everything.

'A Romance of a Shinx and Vulpix! A Fiery but Shocking Relationship!'

I never knew Patience for a romantic type. Ian thought, sheepishly smirking. It was then he also noticed that the fire fox Pokemon was playing with the twig necklace that he had given to her, giggling uncontrollably as she was reading. Ian hoped she wasn't thinking what he thought it was.

It was then Ian noticed Glaceon got up from her seat by the window, walked to the door and left the room. Patience saw it as well, and looked at Ian, she motioned her head in the direction of the door, indicating to follow her.

"Why me?" Ian asked.

"Well, you're good at talking with people about their problems, so go see what's wrong with Glaceon." Patience replied.

"It was only one time and that was with you."

"And that's why I can vouch for that, now go, I'm going to continue my reading."

As the fire fox Pokemon went on with her reading, Ian sighed and left their room and into the hallway, he turned left, eventually arriving at the food hall. Kangaskhan had already left but there were still a few Pokemon, presumably travellers as well just talking. He could hear a group of them laughing uncontrollably. Ian scanned the room for Glaceon and saw her at the far end of the hall, sitting alone by a table. He made his way there, Glaceon was looking at something, she was frowning. Ian let out a cough, getting the ice Pokemon's attention.

"Oh! Ian..." Glaceon said.

"How are you holding up?" Ian asked. "Are you alright?" Glaceon didn't reply to that question, worrying the mudfish Pokemon, he took a seat next to her.

"What's that you got there?" He asked Glaceon, regarding the paper she was holding.

"Old memories." She answered, she passed the paper to let Ian see, it turns out it was actually a photo, it was group of six Pokemon, all smiling, they all wore what looked like white bands with a red cross on it. One Pokemon that caught his attention was an Eevee, smiling happily while being hugged by two other Pokemon.

Was that... Glaceon?

"Who are these Pokemon?" Ian asked.

"Team Reviver," Glaceon said. The name didn't ring any bells for Ian. "a group of travelling doctors based in the Water Continent who provide aid to whomever seeks our help."

"You were part of it?"

"Sort of, they actually found me when I was really young, wandering the woods hungry and lost. They asked me where were my parents, but honestly... I didn't know where or who they were."

"I see..." Ian said, feeling sympathy for the ice Pokemon, another orphan, just like him and Patience. "So uh, is the Eevee in the picture you?

"That is in fact me, when I was only a child." Glaceon said. "Since I had no where else to go, Team Reviver took me in, I honestly felt like I was part of the team as well, they thought me basic medicine and first aid, felt like an actual doctor."

Ian noticed Glaceon, it was the first time he saw her smile in the last few hours. Which suddenly reminds why he was here in the first place, asking Glaceon about what had happened. The mudfish Pokemon felt reluctant, he was worried about what he might learn, but nevertheless, curiosity got the better of him. He carefully decided his words, before finally asking her the question.

"What... happened to you back in Mystical Forest?" Ian asked, feeling as if a huge load suddenly piled onto his back. Glaceon smile suddenly turn back into a frown, even sadder than the last one. Had he made a mistake by asking? Was it just not the right time?

"It's...complicated. It's a very long story..." Glaceon responded.

"Go on."

The ice Pokemon let out a sigh, which confused Ian for a moment, why was she sighing? It didn't seem out of annoyance or sadness, it seemed more like...relief.

"I never told anyone of the other members... but I suffer from a case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD for short." Glaceon said.

Ian was stunned of that information, shocked to hear the Expedition Society doctor suffering from something as serious as PTSD.

"I-I'm sorry to hear that... I didn't know that you-"

"It's alright," Glaceon said. Motioning Ian to stop. "I'm okay, for the most part, this is the first time I froze up like that in such a long time, ever since it happened."

"Ever since what happened?" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"The reason why I left Team Reviver. It was around five years ago, I was still an Eevee at the time helping out the doctors however I could. We got a request from an injured Pokemon whose team were injured and stranded in a cave, thinking it was a good opportunity to practice my medical knowledge, the leader, Beartic, took me and two other Pokemon, Pansear, who never stops talking, and Bayleaf, my...best friend.

"What about the other two members?" Ian asked.

"They stayed behind in case we needed more help." Glaceon answered. "When we found the injured Pokemon, we immediately got to work and patched them up, but something felt strange about the dungeon we were in, the air inside was different, it smelled foul and felt much thicker compared to normal oxygen."

"So what was it?"

"Hydrogen."

The name sounded familiar to Ian, but he didn't know why. He hasn't even heard about it before. Could it be a memory of his human life?

"Hydrogen?" Ian repeated it as a question.

"The lightest gas in the world, and also the most reactive to fire." Glaceon explained.

Why do I feel like I know where this is going... Ian thought.

"One of the Pokemon... I can't remember her name, Leafeon was it? One of her legs got hit by a wild Pokemon's ice beam and it froze. Pansear first option was to use his fire type move to melt the ice because we didn't have any Lum Berries, I didn't know back then why Beartic had ran to Pansear to stop him, guess now I know why: The fire reacted with the hydrogen filled cave and caused a massive explosion, all I remember seeing was a bright flash, before blacking out. I still remember it clearly... the heat bouncing off my body, screams... of Bayleaf..."

Ian was speechless, shocked at the sudden turn of events for the worse, he didn't know what to say but continued listening either way.

"I remembered opening my eyes, surrounding in flames, as if I was in Hell itself. Next to me..." Glaceon hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "Next to me was Bayleaf, I wouldn't have recognized her if not for the burnt leaf sticking out of her head... she was charred... I could only see the blankness in her eyes... I shook her, but nothing. I shook her again and called out her name, nothing. I grew more and more desperate and scared, continuously shaking her and crying out her name... but nothing, she was gone..."

Ian noticed tears coming down Glaceon's face.

"Y-you don't have to keep going if you don't want to. I-"

"No," Glaceon interrupted. "I want to keep going." The mudfish Pokemon fell silent and continued listening. "Half my body was burned up, and I was left in a state of unconsciousness. But I was still aware of what was happening around me. Beartic, Bayleaf and the three other Pokemon had perished in the fire. Pansear eventually left the team, feeling guilty of his actions. Another member, Azumarill, left after a disagreement with the decision of disbanding the team. Which left only one member to care for me, Linoone. I eventually woke up, becoming a completely different Pokemon, I became quiet, refusing to eat, nightmares and flashbacks of that incident. Linoone told me that I was suffering from PTSD, which only made things even worse for me, I feel into depression."

Glaceon took a moment to wipe away the tears that were covering her eyes. Ian felt his heart sank, he felt like crying too. Such a happy-go-lucky Pokemon who always smiled suffered so many losses. She smiles to hide the pain within her.

"Eventually, I met Ampharos, he said the Expedition Society was looking for a doctor and Linoone had recommended me to him. Ever since then, I've never seen Linoone, I placed my past behind me and smiled, helping anyone in need."

"I...I'm so sorry with what happened to you..." Ian said

"It's alright, I'm actually glad I finally got to share my story with someone..." Glaceon said, out of nowhere, the ice Pokemon grabbed Ian's hands and firmly grasp it. "Thank you, Ian." She smiled once more.

Confused for a second, Ian returned the gesture and tightened his grasp of Glaceon's hand.

"The Expedition Society will always be there for you." He said. "I, will be there for you."

Glaceon giggled, which made Ian fuzzy. Just then, Ian remembered something, he had something in his bag that might cheer Glaceon up.

"Wait here, I got something for you."

Before Glaceon could even respond, Ian bolted off for their room, he opened the door to see Patience, who was still reading her book.

* * *

"Oh hey, you found out what's wrong with Glaceon?" She asked.

"I'll tell you later." Ian said, he went to his bag and started digging through it. Trying to find what he wanted, he eventually did, but the coldness of the item stunned him for a second, causing him to drop his bag and its contents spilling out. He grabbed what he wanted from the floor, the light blue ribbon he had found earlier today.

"You're really clumsy you know that?" Patience commented. Just then, something small rolled towards her and dropped. She picked up the small object, which turned out to be a rock. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it?" She read the words engraved on it.

"I found this while we were at Revelation Mountain, not exactly sure what it means though." Ian said, he took the rock from Patience's hand and placed it in his scarf before leaving the room. Patience, confused as to what just happened, decided to stop her reading and went to sleep.

* * *

"Here, this is for you." Ian said, handing the ribbon to Glaceon.

"A Frost Ribbon...?" Glaceon said, taking the ribbon, the coldness of the ribbon satisfied her.

"Oh, so that's what it's called? I found it earlier at Mystical Forest. What does it even do?"

"It increases the wearer's ice type moves." Glaceon explained, still looking at the ribbon in surprise. "I really appreciate this, Ian." Glaceon tied the ribbon around her neck, the coldness of the ribbon soothed her. "How do I look?" She asked.

"Cuter." Ian complimented.

"Hehe, you really think so?" The ice Pokemon gave Ian a hug. "Thank you Ian, for everything."

"I aim to please." Ian replied, returning the hug.

"Hmm? What's this in your scarf?"

Glaceon removed the rock that was in Ian's scarf and examined it.

"Oh that? That's a rock that I found at Revelation Mountain. Although I don't understand what's the meaning of the engravings."

Glaceon looked at the mudfish Pokemon in confusion. "W-what does it even say?"

"What? It clearly says 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'."

Glaceon looked at Ian with a confused look. "I remember seeing these strange letters in Mawile's room before."

"What do you mean?" The answer that he had gotten back shocked him and shed light on something he had never expected.

"Ian, this is written in human language."

* * *

A/N: First of all, I would like to sincerely apologize about bringing a serious subject such as PTSD. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is not something to be taken for granted. If I've offended you in any way with the mention of PTSD, I'm sorry for that was not my intention.

Anyway, with that sudden revelation, it seems Ian might have to reveal the truth of how he used to be a human. But with that comes another scary question: How was Patience able to read it? That's for me to know, and for you to start theorizing.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off.


	48. Back Home

"Welcome home you guys!" Dedenne greeted. "I'm glad that you're all-"

Ian, Patience, Archen and Glaceon hastily walked past Dedenne who was standing at the entrance.

"-alright..."

The four members went up the stairs and went straight for Mawile's room.

 _There's no way... It can't be_... Ian thought. When Glaceon had revealed to him that the rock he had found on Revelation Mountain was written in a human language, he couldn't believe it. Patience had read it just fine, it couldn't possibly be human. When asked about how she could read, Patience simply shrugged and said she just could, like Ian. They woke up Archen and asked him if he could read the engravings, but he couldn't as well.

It was then that Ian had finally confessed that he was once a human, but had lost all memories of it. He was expecting Archen and Glaceon to be shocked of the reveal, but, they seemed to take it surprisingly well. Which confused Ian. 'You're not the first time a human has come to our world you know.' Archen said. Ian felt somewhat disappointed, he enjoyed seeing Pokemon reacting in shock at them being told he was human. Either way, Ian wasn't convinced, he said that he wanted to confirm it with Mawile, for she was the Expedition Society's expert in archeology and ancient history.

Ian knocked on Mawile's room door, a loud crash could be heard from the room, followed by a muttered curse from Mawile. She opened the door, the others noticed that she had black marks covering her eyes. Indicating that she hasn't be getting enough sleep.

"Oh, welcome back." Mawile grumpily said. "What do you want?"

"I want you to take a look at this." Ian said, handing the rock to her. Mawile's eyes suddenly lit up, her grumpiness suddenly gone, she snatched the rock from Ian's hand, examining it.

"W-where did you get this from?!" She asked, still shocked with what she was looking at.

"I found it buried in dirt at Revelation Mountain, near Serene Village." Ian explained. "You know what is written on it right?"

"I can, but it might take me awhile to translate it..."

Surprised, Ian turned to Archen, who simply shrugged, resting his case. He then turned his attention to Patience, who was just as confused. How was Patience able to read human language if she was just a normal Pokemon? Unless...

No, I won't jump to conclusions just yet. Ian said to himself.

"Ian and Patience, they are somehow able to read the human language with ease." Glaceon said.

"Stop messing with me Glaceon, we all know that mastering it takes months, even years." Mawile said in disbelief, she hurried into her room, the four Pokemon following her in. She hastily placed the rock on her desk and searched through one of her bookshelf. Her room was littered with scattered books and papers, there were also a few apple cores that scattered the room. Mawile removed a blue book from her shelf, it was big and heavy, almost ten centimeters thick. 'Human Language for Dummies', Ian couldn't help but chuckle at that book title. Mawile opened the book, inside were images of human letters, next to it was the translation in Pokemon footprint writing.

It was only then that Ian suddenly realized the difference between the two languages. The human alphabet 'A', is a small footprint to Pokemon. It wasn't a surprise to him, since he was human. But Patience was a completely different story.

"Those who cannot remember the past..." Mawile translated.

"...are condemned to repeat it." Ian finished, to the shock of the archeologist.

"B-but how?! How is a kid like you able to read this like it's nothing?!"

Ian decided to confess that he was actually a human, but had lost his memories of it. Mawile, although in disbelief at first, nodded her head in understanding, as if all the pieces finally fit together.

"I see... Now it's starting to make sense." The deceiver Pokemon said, scratching her the black jaws on her head. "There's only one thing I have to ask though: How is Patience able to read it as well?"

Everyone turned their heads to the fire fox Pokemon, she nervously stood there, unsure as to how to answer that question.

"I-I don't know... I just read it without any difficulties." Patience said.

Mawile sighed, her life work, years of studying and work, is being undermined by the two new recruits, kids for that matter. She shook that thought out of her head, despite demotivated, she still had a role to play out.

"I'll study this rock further, see if there's anything else on it. In the meantime, I think you should go see the Chief."

"Oh! Which reminds me," Patience said, remembering something. She opened her Expedition Bag and started digging through it, taking the stone that he had received from Litwick.

"What's that?" Archen asked.

"A stone that someone gave to me." She replied. "What's odd is the strange symbol inside of it."

Mawile took the stone and examined it, it was a clear and spherical, light glistens from its shiny surface. A strange symbol laid in the center, a symbol that looked familiar.

 _A double helix._

Mawile knew she had this symbol before, but she wasn't sure where, or what it represented. Her drowsiness after only waking up just a few minutes ago wasn't helping with her memories.

Ian and the others, who didn't want to disturb Mawile further, quietly left the room and closed the door to her room. Mawile was so focused with the stone, that she didn't realize that they had left a long time ago.

 _Note to self, be more aware of surroundings.._. Mawile thought.

Just then, Mawile's stomach growled loudly, slightly embarrassing her. She was glad that no one else was in the room to hear that "Bombastic noise".

 _...and also not skip meals_.

* * *

"So, that's your full summary of what happened in the Air Continent?" Ampharos asked, resting his hands on his desk as he sat on his chair.

"Yes sir, that's about everything." Archen said.

Entei, the Legendary Pokemon of volcanos. The question that had been going through his head: What was Entei doing here? Was he investigating the incidents as he said? Or perhaps there was another motive? The only other logical conclusion.

"Do you think Entei could be our culprit?" The lighthouse Pokemon asked.

"I highly doubt it, but I wouldn't ruled out that possibility just yet." Archen replied.

"Speaking of which, you still haven't explained how you and Entei seem to know each other." Ian reminded.

"Oh, really? My bad." The first bird Pokemon apologized, scratching his head awkwardly. "I'm sure you heard what Entei called me right?"

"Archen The Flightless?" Patience said.

"The other one."

"Son of Team...Blazing...something..."

"Team Blazing Griffin," Ampharos corrected. "a renowned exploitation team about twenty years ago. Archen's parents were the one who created the team."

"Wow! That's so cool!" Patience exclaimed in excitement.

"So... you're a prodigy?" Glaceon asked.

"You could say that, I learned everything I know about dungeon exploration from my parents." Archen said.

"And Entei?" Ian asked.

"Turns out my parents met many Legendary Pokemons back in their day, Entei being one of them. If I recall they were looking for the rainbow Pokemon."

"The rainbow Pokemon..." Patience uttered.

Ampharos let out a cough, reminding the four Pokemon that he was still here. Snapping back into attention.

"Glaceon?" He called out.

"Chief?"

"Is there something bothering you? Archen told me about how you sort of went into a state of shock when you encountered Entei." Ampharos said, donning a worried look on his face. "And I just noticed you got yourself a ribbon?"

"I-it's nothing Chief, I got this Frost Ribbon while I was in the Air Continent." Glaceon said, she looked over Ian who simply smiled and nodded in return.

"I see, I guess with that out of the way, you're all dismissed. Take the rest of the day off."

The four Expedition Society members nodded in acknowledgement, and quietly left the office. Ampharos sighed as he looked to the left of his desk to see a tall pile of paperwork. They were mostly requisition orders from Mawile and Jirachi for their research. The rest were request forms sent by organizations from other continents to help them in expeditions or capturing outlaws.

"Oh what I would do right now just to take a day off..." Ampharos muttered to himself as he began shuffling through the pile of papers.


	49. The Anomaly

CONVERSATION HAS BEEN AUTOMATICALLY ACHIEVED INTO CONVERSATION DATABASE. SENSITIVE INFORMATION HAS BEEN CENSORED FROM UNAUTHORIZED PERSONAL.

12:45 (Möbius): Hey, you there?

12:45 (Epsilon): Yeah, what's up?

12:46 (Möbius): Just wanted an update on [REDACTED].

12:47 (Möbius): And our "side project" as well.

12:47 (Epsilon): It is going well, although I'm having difficulties extracting [REDACTED] from Pokemon.

12:48 (Epsilon): And I lack the resources the accelerate the process.

12:50 (Möbius): We'll have to make do with what we have, I'm getting reports that DM is fast approaching, it's either consumes or turns anyone it encounters into stone.

12:51 (Epsilon): Not the best motivator are you? I'm not even sure if this would work. It's all just been theories, who knows if the results would be the same?

12:52 (Möbius): It's the only chance we have, we have to finish it no matter what. I'll meet up with you soon to check up on the progress myself. See you then.

12:52 (Epsilon): Alright then.

CONVERSATION ENDED. DELETING CONVERSATION FROM DATABASE.


	50. Night Watch

Ian and Patience watched as Buizel hung up the new Expedition Society group photo in the Crew Room after dinner. They had taken the picture earlier this afternoon, a Pokemon by the name of Meowth had came by with a camera. What Meowth didn't realize however was that the camera was not in proper working condition and every time the Expedition Society prepared for the photo to be taken, the camera would break down and had to be set up again. Adding to that everyone was standing under the hot summer sun, it wasn't an enjoyable time for anyone.

"There, all done." Buizel said.

Ian and Patience took a step closer to examined the picture, it looked better than he expected. Ampharos, Mawile, Archen and Gadget stood professionally side by side, only giving a small grin for the camera. Buizel had the most outlandish pose, head facing down and arm and elbow raised in a single direction, as if he was sneezing. Bunnelby was supposed to look natural in the photo, holding an apple and casually eating it. But Swirlix saw the apple and wanted to swipe it out of his hand with his mouth, but she mistakenly also bit Bunnelby's hand, which led to the appropriate reaction of him screaming in pain. Jirachi simply floated there, half asleep and oblivious to the whole thing. Glaceon stood in front of the group, wrapping her arms around both Ian and Patience and happily smiling, the two looked at her and merely gave an awkward smile.

"I have to say, this has got to be the best group photo thus far." Buizel commented.

"How so?" Ian asked.

"Well, there're more... unique expressions."

Ian looked over to the previous group photos hung on the wall and noticed that Buizel was right. They were all mostly the same, the Expedition Society members smiling and looking straight at the camera. The previous most recent photo was when they started becoming more enthusiastic and relaxed.

"Welp, I think you two should get going, your night watch starts in five minutes."

"Wait, night watch? What the heck is that?" Patience asked.

"Oh, nobody told you? Every night, two of us take turns patrolling the streets of Lively Town to ensure the safety of the residents. And according to the imaginary list, you two are up next."

Ian expressed a look of surprised when Buizel mentioned they had to patrol Lively Town at night, Patience as well.

"How long do we have to patrol?" Ian asked.

"About four hours." Buizel answered.

 _So much for getting a good night's sleep after this..._

Ian sighed and waved for Patience to get moving. Buizel wished them good night before making his way to his room. The two partners made their way to the entrance of the Expedition Society Headquarters, opened the door to the outside world and left. There were still a few Pokemon roaming the streets of Lively Town at night, mostly Pokemon on their way home or closing up their shops, the town was quiet, with only the voices of a few Pokemon talking about their days before going their separate ways. Ian and Patience split up and started making making their rounds around town, walking back and forth, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. Occasionally, a resident would ask them what were kids wandering around this late at night, in which Ian and Patience had to explain that they were Expedition Society members. The first hour passed, then the second, then the third...

* * *

Ian yawned as he passed by the town's entrance for what seemed like the fiftieth time now, his eyes were starting to ache and he couldn't concentrate. He wished that he had gotten some Chesto Berries from his bag to keep himself awake.

Couldn't they just have gotten someone else for this? Ian grumbled in his head as he made his way back to the town plaza once more. At this hour, Lively Town is shrouded in complete darkness, the only thing illuminating the town was the moonlight and stars that covered the calm night skies, Patience would've love to sit down and just gaze at the stars.

 _Speaking of Patience, where is she?_

The mudfish Pokemon has not seen her for quite sometime now, the last time he saw Patience was just over a hour ago when they both bumped into each other while walking through the streets. Nothing from her since then. Ian went through the town once more, searching every side alleys that Patience might be in, after multiple rounds it proved fruitless. For all he knew, Patience was probably exhausted and had already went back to their room and fallen asleep, leaving the mudfish Pokemon wandering around in circles for nothing. Although, there was still one place he hasn't checked yet.

 _The docks._

Ian broke into a stride and made his way to the docks. When the mudfish Pokemon reached the stairs that led to the lighthouse, he saw a small, figure sitting by the edge of the pier. It didn't take long for Ian to realized it was Patience. She was looking up in the sky and gazing at the stars.

 _Guess my hunch was right._

"So this is where you've been." Ian said. Patience turned her head surprise when she heard the mudfish Pokemon's voice.

"Oh, I didn't hear you coming." Patience said.

"And I didn't know you could take a break to watch the stars." The mudfish Pokemon lectured.

"Oh stop being such a party pooper Ian," Patience said. "it's not like anyone's going to know. Come on, kick your feet up and just relax."

 _She does have a point._

Ian simply sighed and decided to follow the fire fox Pokemon's advice. He walked up to her side and sat down next to her. The two Pokemon began gazing at the night sky together, they remained quiet for what felt like a long time before Patience decided to speak up.

"This sight really reminds me of Serene Village." She said.

"How so?" Ian asked.

"The starry sky, sitting under that big tree..."

"Ah, now I remember." Ian recalled also being with Patience under a starry sky a few times. Twice to be exact. The first was when they made up and reconciled after having an argument, the second was when they became an expedition team.

That felt like ages ago...

Patience inched herself closer to her partner and laid her head on his shoulder. Ian was surprised for a moment but immediately relaxed, honestly at this point he shouldn't really be surprised with Patience.

"I miss Serene Village..." Patience said as she started to frown. "I miss my pops, I miss our classmates, I miss everyone..."

Ian couldn't agree more, every day he still thinks about the villagers back in Serene Village, the Pokemon that had gave him a place to stay and cared for him.

Especially Nuzleaf.

The mudfish Pokemon placed his hand on Patience's head and began stroking it. The warmth of her fur felt nice.

"Me too Patience, me too." He said.

The two partners remained in their positions for quite awhile, until Ian let out another yawn, realizing that he was getting even more exhausted. They should probably head back home now.

"Hey Patience..." Ian turned his head and noticed the fire fox Pokemon had fallen asleep, snoring away on his shoulder. He gave Patience a slight nudge to wake her up, but she remained sleeping. The fire fox Pokemon didn't look like she was waking up anytime soon. Ian sighed, knowing what he had to do. The mudfish Pokemon gently lifted Patience and slung her over his body, Ian felt a sense of deja vu, although there was a slight difference.

Good lord, has Patience gotten heavier? Ian thought to himself. He still remembered Patience being much lighter when he had carried her back in Serene Village. It's probably Swirlix's cooking.

Ian made his way back to the Expedition Society Headquarters, went back to his room, placing Patience into her bed before collapsing into his own bed, immediately falling asleep as he ends a tiring night.


	51. Next Course Of Action

"Looks like your burns are starting to heal up." Glaceon said to Ian, examining the tip of his tail fins. The Expedition Society doctor had requested the mudfish Pokemon to come to the infirmary after morning call for a check up on the injury he had suffered in the Air Continent from Entei.

"Be straight with me doc, how much longer am I going to live?" Ian jokingly asked.

"With that attitude, I estimate around two months." Glaceon snakily replied. "All right, everything looks good, you're free to go now."

Ian got up from the infirmary bed and began stretching his legs. Any longer remaining idle in that position would have made his legs go numb.

"Stay safe out there alright?" Glaceon said, placing a hand on the mudfish Pokemon's shoulder and giving a warm gentle smile.

Ian nodded, and gave the ice Pokemon a reassuring smile. "You know I will." He said. Ian exited the infirmary to be greeted with Patience, who was waiting in the hallway, playing with her twig necklace.

"Well?" Patience asked. "How was it?"

"My tail isn't burnt to a crisp if that's what's you're asking." Ian replied, playfully nudging his partner. "So, what's our order of business today?"

"A Pokémon by the name of Emolga has requested our help to rescue his friend Dunsparce from a dungeon." Patience explained.

"A rescue mission eh? Haven't had one of those in quite awhile. Let's head off then."

Patience nodded and the two Pokemon slung their Expedition Bags over their body and made their way to the entrance.

"Ian! Patience!"

Just as they were about to leave the building, the sudden loud call startled Ian and Patience. They turned around and saw Bunnelby, who had ran from the second floor of the building to them, he was panting heavily and wheezing.

"You guys...need to see Ampharos and Mawile." The digging Pokemon said through his heavy panting.

"Oh? About what?" Patience asked.

"Didn't say. The two just wanted to see you in their respective rooms..."

"Alright then, thanks Bunnelby." Ian said. Bunnelby simply waved it off and left the building to begin his expedition work. Ian and Patience looked at each other and nodded as they headed up the stairs, Ian decided they should see Marilee first, it was most likely regarding the stones from yesterday. The mudfish Pokemon went up to the opened door of Mawile's office and knocked on her door. The deceiver Pokemon was reading a book when she noticed Ian and Patience by the door, she waved them in and placed the book she was reading on a nearby table.

Is this about the stone with the human letters?" Ian asked.

Mawile shook her head. "No, it's about Patience's mysterious stone, I know what it is."

"What is it?" Patience asked.

"A Key Stone."

Ian and Patience gave a confused look at Mawile's answer, both of them having no idea what a Key Stone.

"Have you two ever heard of Mega Evolution?" Mawile asked.

"I think I may have heard of it before... but that's about it." Patience replied.

"Nope." Ian replied.

"It's a form of temporary evolution that transcends beyond the one that we're familiar with. Certain Pokemon are capable of Mega Evolving, even those who have already reached their final stage of evolution, or have no stages at all."

Mawile grabbed the Key Stone that was laying on the table, grasping it firmly in her hand and showing it to Ian and Patience. The two noticed that the stone faintly glowed.

"Patience could you hold the stone for me?" She requested.

The fire fox Pokemon, unsure as to where this was going, held out her hand and took the Key Stone from Mawile, the glowing immediately stopped, taking Patience by surprise.

"W-whaa..?" Patience exclaimed.

"Interesting... Ian, now your turn."

Ian nodded and took the Key Stone from Patience. The stone suddenly started glowing again. Mawile's eyes widened at the results.

"Oh my..." Mawile muttered.

"W-what does this mean?" Ian asked.

"It means, you're capable of Mega Evolution, just like me."

The mudfish Pokemon, who took almost half a minute just to process the answer, decided to voice out his confusion.

"You're losing me here Mawile... I don't get what you mean."

"When a Key Stone glows when held by a Pokémon, it's confirmed that they are able to Mega Evolve. There are many theories as to why only certain Pokemon are able to Mega Evolve, the most common theory being the genetic codes of Pokemon in the DNA that activates said evolution."

"DNA?" Patience asked.

"Deoxyribonucleic acid," Ian answered. "...don't ask how I know because I'm not sure myself."

"The most compelling evidence is actually the symbol that lies inside the Key Stone, see the double helix? That's exactly how a DNA looks."

Patience was at a loss with Mawile's explanation, none of it making any sense to her. Ian other the other hand, was intrigued, probably because he had the ability to achieve Mega Evolution. But there was one question that had been lingering in his mind.

"How DOES a Pokemon Mega Evolve?" He asked.

Mawile shrugged, just as clueless as he was, which took the mudfish Pokemon by surprise. "Some say it happens naturally, when the gods above deem you fit, others say another stone just like this one needs to be fit into you looplet to activate it. The latter is a much more logical answer if you ask me."

"You don't suppose I could Mega Evolve too?"

Ian, Patience and Mawile turned their heads to the door where the voice came from. It was Ampharos, who had been standing there and listening the whole time.

"C-chief?" Mawile awkwardly greeted.

The Expedition Society chief let himself in, calmly taking the Key Stone from Ian's hands. The Key Stone remained glowing in Ampharos's hand, indicating that he too, was capable of Mega Evolving.

"Well, would you look at that?" Ampharos remarked.

"Oh come on!" Patience exclaimed in frustration. "Why is it I'm the only one here who isn't capable of Mega Evolving when I was the one who got the Key Stone?!"

"There there, it's not all that bad." Ian patronized, giving the fire fox Pokemon a pity pat on the head, Patience simply sighed in annoyance.

Ampharos was about to hand the Key Stone back to Mawile, who shook her head and pointed to Patience, to which he gave the stone back to her. He let out a short cough, indicating the three Expedition Society members to pay attention.

"Now, for the reason why I had called for you two." Ampharos said, the tone in his voice changing in an instant. "I have finally decided what our next course of action will be for investigating the turning-to-stone incidents."

"That is?" Ian asked.

"We're going to have to bring Entei in for questioning."

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?!" Ian, Patience and Mawile exclaimed in shock. Ampharos wishes to interrogate not only a Legendary Pokemon, but a powerful one at that too.

"W-with all due respect Ampharos, but that's completely insane!" Mawile protested, Ian noticed that it was the first time she had addressed Ampharos by name instead 'sir' or 'chief'.

"I know Mawile, but we have no other choice, Entei's our only lead in this case."

"But... where could Entei be?" Patience wondered. "I'm pretty sure he's not the type to stick around in one place for so long."

"That's where you are mistaken, he resides on an island, just south west of here." Ampharos took out his Expedition Gadget and opened the map. The holographic display zoomed in from a display of the continents to a small, lone island, far off from any nearby civilization. The island's most notable feature was that there was an active volcano on it. A name was displayed below the holographic island.

 _Fire Island Volcano._

"That... doesn't look very welcoming doesn't it?" Ian said, feeling a cold sweat drip from his face from the sheer menacing presence of the island alone.

"Ian, Patience, you two along with Buizel, Bunnelby, Archen, Gadget and I will be going to Fire Island Volcano. We will leave in three days time, so get yourselves prepped with supplies before then."

Ian and Patience nodded.

"Mawile, I want you to stay here, you'll be holding down the fort while we're gone."

"But-!"

"I'll be fine, and I know you can handle the headquarters on your own."

Mawile remained silent for a few seconds, sighing as she knew there was no point arguing.

"Yes sir..." She said.

"Very well then, you are all dismissed."

Ampharos left the room and headed back to his office, Ian and Patience followed shortly, leaving Mawile alone again in her office as she returned to her reading. The Hydroflames made their way down the stairs back to the first floor of the building when Ian stopped in his tracks, realizing something.

"Wait, what were we doing before this?" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

Patience tried remembering what it was, it was off the top of her head but she just couldn't recall.

"I've completely forgotten." She said, shrugging.

"Let's just head to Keckleon Store to stock up on items." Ian suggested. "We're going to be needing a lot of healing items."

Patience nodded in agreement as the two left the Expedition Society Headquarters, into a bright new day in Lively Town, the citizens going about their daily lives and all around happy.

Little did the Pokemon know, a looming threat, that grows closer and closer by the day... that would shake the world to its very core.


	52. Burning Feeling

_Entry #21_

 _Today's the day where we decide to do something completely insane, we're going to barge into Entei's home and question him about his suspected involvement in the turning-to-stone incidents._

 _Crazy I know._

 _Patience said there's nothing to worry about considering we're both water and fire types, but I get the feeling nothing's ever going to be this easy. Also, for some reason, my Harmony Scarf seems to be emitting some sort of glow as of late, I can feel some heat coming from it, which has been giving me this uneasy burning feeling on my neck._

 _Pun not intended._

* * *

"You all set?" Patience asked as she slung her Expedition Bag over her body. "We're going to be late for the briefing."

"Have some patience, Patience." Ian said, realizing what he had just said, began snickering.

"Did you just-?!"

"Come on partner, we're going to miss the briefing!" Ian interrupted as he bolted out of the room in an instant. The fire fox Pokemon mumbled something as she followed after her partner, closing their room door as she left.

As the two entered the lobby, the rest of the Society members who were partaking in this expedition were already present. Ian saw Buizel still half asleep, unable to maintain his balance without nearly tripping over himself, which was understandable considering they had to wake up well before the sun rise. Surprisingly Swirlix was there as well, handing out everyone their packed meal for the trip.

'You can't explore dungeons on an empty stomach!' was Swirlix's motto.

Swirlix saw Ian and Patience and happily approached them, handing them their packed meal.

"Here you go, one packet of Swirlix's finest!" The cotton candy Pokemon said.

"Thanks Swirlix, I hope you don't eat up the rest of the food supplies while we're gone." Patience said, placing the packet in her bag.

"I-I promise I won't!" Swirlix stuttered, knowing the glutton stewardess, she would steal some food from storage regardless, Ampharos had finally decided to implement the rule of needing to pay back any food taken from the Expedition Society storage. Hoping that would finally solve the problem of Swirlix's constant food theft.

"Good morning everyone!"

The seven Expedition Society members snapped into action and turned to the stairs, where Ampharos was walking down from the stairs, an apple in his hand. Mawile was also there next to him. Swirlix excused herself as she left for her room to get a few more hours of sleep before starting the day off.

"I see all of you are up and awake!" Ampharos said.

"Not all of us are fully awake..." Gadget said, looking at Buizel, whom had leaned on her leg and had fallen asleep already, much to her annoyance. She shook the sea weasel Pokemon awake, causing him to lose his balance and fall face first onto the floor. Everyone in the room simply watched in surprise.

"Ow... my head..." Buizel mumbled as he got onto his feet, he saw Bunnelby shook his head and face palming in embarrassment at his clumsiness.

"Good grief..." He heard Bunnelby said.

Ampharos let out a cough, wanting to get the attention of the Expedition Society members. They all immediately snapped back into attention. The Expedition Society chief took out his Expedition Gadget and turned it on, a holographic image of a large island with a volcano at the center suddenly appeared right before the other members eyes.

That must be Fire Island Volcano... looks pretty intimidating. Ian thought.

"Fire Island Volcano is a massive island, its about 3000 acres in size, don't ask me how large is it exactly but trust me it's pretty big." Ampharos explained. "Our goal is the top of the volcano, that's where Entei supposedly resides. We'll be splitting the group into two, the first group will climb from the north side of the island while the second group will climb from the south."

Archen raised his hand, wanting to ask a question, Ampharos gestured him to speak up.

"May I ask why must we split into two groups?" Archen asked. "Wouldn't it better if we stuck to a single group?"

"An excellent question!" Ampharos praised. "The reason for this is because Entei is a Pokémon that roams a lot, he travels to the other continents often for reasons unknown. So, splitting would help us cover more ground if we see Entei on our way up, contact Dedenne should encounter Entei on your way through Fire Island Volcano, any other questions?"

"Who would be in group one and two?" Bunnelby asked.

"Ah, I almost forgot..." Ampharos said. "Mawile, why don't you take it from here?"

"Huh..?" Mawile exclaimed, she had surprisingly been zoning off, being caught completely off guard with sudden mention of her name. Ian found it somewhat odd, she would usually be calm and focused during times like these, why does she seem so anxious? "Right... Group one will consist of Ian, Patience, Buizel and Gadget. Group two would be the chief, Archen and Bunnelby."

The members nodded in acknowledgment and began rearranging themselves into their respective groups. Ian and Patience stood in between Buizel and Gadget. Ampharos, Archen and Bunnelby stood together on the other side of the room.

"Very well then, let us make haste for the harbor!" Ampharos ordered, as the Expedition Society members headed for the entrance and left the building. Lively Town was still shrouded in darkness, with only the faintest of sunrise looming over the horizon, even shopkeepers, who woke up the earliest in the morning to open up there shops for the day have not left their homes yet.

Before departing, Ampharos turned to face Mawile, who was standing by the entrance as she saw everyone leave. The lighthouse Pokemon placed his hands on Mawile's small shoulders.

"Take care of everyone while I'm gone alright Jaws?" He said.

Mawile nodded. "You can count on me Volt."

 _Jaws? Volt? What's the all about? Ian thought, he looked over at Patience and judging by her expression, she too had the same question in mind. The fire fox Pokemon nudged Buizel to gain his attention._

"Hm? What is it Patience?"

"Did Ampharos and Mawile just refer to each other by nickname? What's that all about?" Patience asked.

"Oh, that. You see, those two have known each other for a very long time now, even before the Expedition Society was created, so I guess they've grown very close to each other over the years, even though they hardly show it."

"So uh... do you think they're like... in love?"

"Patience!" Ian exclaimed in surprise of Patience's shocking question. "Have some respect for the two."

"No no, it's quite alright." Buizel said. "In fact, I'm pretty sure all the members are fully aware of the chief and Mawile's 'close bond' by now."

"Are they actually in love though?" Ian asked.

Buizel simply shrugged, "Guess only time will tell."

Ampharos finally let go of Mawile as he and the group began making their way to the harbor. The group waved goodbye to Mawile as she returned to the Expedition Society Headquarters, disappearing from sight.

When the group arrived at the harbor next to the lighthouse, they noticed that there wasn't one, but two Lapras's waiting for them. Which made sense, carrying seven Pokemon on the back of a Lapras would prove dangerous, even for someone as capable as Lapras. It seemed like Ampharos had informed

"Where to, Chief Ampharos?" Lapras asked.

"To Fire Island Volcano!" He answered.

Lapras nodded in acknowledgement. "Copy that, hop onto our backs and we'll depart on your orders."

The group began climbed onto Lapras's backs, group one on one Lapras and group two on the other. Gadget sat on the lower part of Lapras's back while Ian, Patience and Buizel sat further up to maintain the balance of Lapras. Ampharos, Archen and Bunnelby boarded the other.

"Is everyone ready?" Ampharos shouted.

"Ready!" The group shouted back.

"Hey ho! And away we go Lapras!"

The two Lapras began to set off, the two transport Pokemon remained as close as they could to each other as the journey to Fire Island Volcano begins.

 _Ugh..._

There it was again, Ian's Harmony Scarf started to emit a faint glow and heat again. The burning sensation in his neck started to make him feel uncomfortable, the mudfish Pokemon pulled his scarf to get some air.

"So you're feeling it too?" Patience asked.

Ian turned to face the fire fox Pokemon, her scarf too was faintly glowing.

"Our Harmony Scarves... what are they doing?" Ian asked.

"I don't know... it has never happened before."

Ian was left even more confused now. What was the cause of this mysterious glowing? What did it mean?

Was it because of Fire Island Volcano? That's the only conclusion Ian could determine. Whatever the it was, he felt like the answer would lie within Fire Island Volcano.

 _I've got a bad feeling about this..._

* * *

A/N: And that's a wrap folks! The final chapter for 2016! My, how time flies. I forgot to mention that last month, November 29th was the first anniversary of this story.

I'm honestly really glad I had decided to create this story, so far it has been my most successful fanfic to date. I've met many new people, some of which have become my friends. Although it's kind of saddening that there's still very little fanfics in the Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon section, I hope to see new authors share their work here.

As of writing this, it's 11:30 PM on the 24th of December, 2016. So, I would like to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year!

While you wait for my return next year, why not check out my new Pokemon Sun and Moon fanfic: Through The Brightest Of Days And Darkest Of Nights. It's still a work in progress, but if there's enough demand from people to see more, I might continue.

Anyway, with that said, see you all in 2017 folks and have a wonderful new year! Peace out!


	53. Advice

**Two days ago, Expedition Society Headquarters**

Ian sat quietly alone in the Crew Room, looking at the holographic image of Fire Island Volcano.

This is a crazy idea... We're just going to walk into Entei's home and ask HIM the questions? That's sounds completely insane! Ian thought to himself as he turned off the hologram, sighed as he leaned back on his chair. The mudfish Pokemon looked outside the window next to him to distract himself, the sun was barely over the horizon as it slowly began to set over the nearby mountains, the faint orange glow slowly dimming as the minutes passed.

 _What's taking Patience so long_?

"Hey there."

Ian turned to see Glaceon, standing by the door as she began walking towards his table.

"What are you doing here all alone?" She asked.

"Patience went out to buy some supplies for us for the expedition to Fire Island Volcano, said there's this Pokemon named Cofagrigus who has a good offer on Reviver Seeds." Ian explained.

"I see." Glaceon said, sitting across from Ian at the table.

"What about you? What are you doing here?"

"Just waiting for Sirwlix to be done preparing dinner, I always come here to have some quiet time to myself, but here you are."

"Well... if it's bothering you I could leave and-"

"No no no! It's fine! I don't mind the company!" Glaceon quickly interrupted. "Especially if it's you..."

"What was that?" Ian asked.

"N-nothing!" The Expedition Society doctor quickly dismissed, her face turning red all of sudden. She tried her best to hide it, but to no avail, the mudfish Pokemon shrugged it off. The two sat in silence for few good minutes, before Glaceon decided to bring up an odd question.

"What is your relationship with Patience?"

"Come again?" Ian asked, caught off guard by the bizarre question.

"D-don't take this wrong way!" Glaceon said, shaking her hands to indicate the misassumption. "I-I'm just curious as to how close the two of you were."

"How close?" The mudfish Pokemon pondered on that question for a brief moment. How close was he to Patience? Sure, it's only been a month since they met, but it with every expedition and adventure, they grew closer not only as partners, but as friends too.

The only question was: HOW close was their bond?

"I'm not exactly sure honestly," Ian replied. "sure me and Patience have been close friends for quite some time now, but sometimes I feel... conflicted with my bond with her."

"You sometimes feel weird around her?"

"Yes, that's exactly how I feel! How did you know?"

"I am a doctor you know?" She snakily replied. To which Ian simply scoffed. "So tell me, describe how exactly this 'weird feeling' is."

"Well... I feel this fuzzy feeling when I'm around Patience sometimes, like whenever she smiles, I can't help but smile too. My heart starts pounding when she speaks to me, all in all she just seems so..." Ian wanted to stop himself from saying what he wanted to say, if he did, Glaceon would immediately catch on and take it the wrong way, but he just couldn't. "...cute." He finished.

Glaceon blinked at the explanation from Ian, a few seconds later she burst into laughter, falling off her chair as she laugh uncontrollably.

"Hey, that's not funny! Ian protested.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She said, sitting back onto her chair. "It's just that you, Ian, a calm and collected Pokemon even in the most dangerous of times, dodged a Legendary Pokemon's attack to save me, feels insecure about having a crush on someone!"

"A... crush?" Ian repeated, unsure as to how to respond to this. Was it true? All this time? He had been slowly developing a crush of his partner?

 _Great... just great..._

"Do you deny it?" Glaceon asked

"What?"

"Do you deny that you have a crush on Patience?"

"I...uh, I'm not exactly sure to be honest." Ian said, his head hanging low as he looked at the table. "It's just that I want to be with Patience, but not THAT close you know? I don't think I'm ready for something like that just yet."

The fresh snow Pokemon nodded in understanding. She knew where Ian was going with this. He wanted to be close with Patience, but not close enough that it turns into a relationship.

"I understand." Glaceon said. "What you do with that crush is entirely up to you, really. Whether you would drop it, or embrace it."

"Yeah..."

Ian and Glaceon sat in silence once more, unsure as to what to talk about next. They remained silent for what seemed like forever when the Crew Room door opened, and Patience entered the room.

"Ian, let's go dinner's read- oh hey Glaceon! What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing, just chatting with Ian." Glaceon said, giving the mudfish Pokemon another quick glance before getting off her seat. Patience moving aside as the doctor left the room. Ian soon got off his chair and followed Patience out.

"What were you two talking about?" Patience asked.

"Oh, nothing, I was just asking her for some advice that's all." Ian replied. Glaceon's words still echoed in his head.

" _What you do with that crush is entirely up to you."_

He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with his crush for Patience just yet. He will worry about that once all of this was over, once they finished their job of apprehending the culprit of the turning-to-stone incidents. He shoved all those thoughts into the back of his mind.

 _Next stop, Fire Island Volcano_.

* * *

A/N: Quite the unexpected start to the new year, you might be wondering why I decided to write a flashback instead of continuing with Fire Island Volcano?

Well the truth is that I wanted to start of the year with a slow start, have a little bit of a breather before we get to the intense stuff, and also I wanted to add in some "potential" shipping implications.

With that said, this is Ikcatcher singing off. Here's to a good 2017!


	54. Fire Island Volcano

"Is that the island?" Patience asked, pointing ahead in front of Lapras.

"Well judging by its menacing size, large volcano in the center and dark clouds surrounding the island, my money's on Fire Island Volcano." Ian heard Gadget scoffed at his response, which came as a surprise, considering she hardly ever showed any emotions to the others.

"Alright, this is the place where we split off, we'll be sailing to the other side of the island and climbing from there." Ampharos said. "We will see you at the top of the volcano, stay safe everyone! Lapras, onwards to the other side of the island!"

"Copy that!" Lapras acknowledged as Ampharos's group sped ahead towards the island, the groups slowly getting further away from each other as they finally split up to commence the expedition.

When Ian's group arrived on the shores of Fire Island Volcano, their first order of business was to set up a base camp to rest up and have lunch first. The trip to the island had been long, by the time they had arrived the sun was already hanging high in the sky. Once everyone had finished the packed meals given by Swirlix, the group gathered around to decide what they should do next.

"So what's our next move?" Buizel asked.

"We can start by finding a way up the volcano." Gadget answered, she turned on her Expedition Gadget and brought up the holographic display of the island on the device, she began moving the hologram with her hands, finding a route the group can use to scale the volcano.

"What about here?" Patience said, stopping the display with her hand and marking a spot not far from their current position.

"That could actually work, good job Patience!" Buizel praised, causing the fire fox Pokemon to scratch her head in embarrassment. Ian smiled as he stared at his partner, remembering what he had told Glaceon about his crush of Patience two days ago, the conversation still fresh in his head.

 _It's her smile that makes her cute isn't_ _it?_ He thought to himself.

"Come on Ian! Stop being such a Slowpoke and get moving!" Patience yelled

Ian was jolted from his thoughts as he realized the rest of the group had already went ahead, leaving him behind. Ian broke into a dash as he caught up with the others as they began their treacherous journey up the volcano.

 _It's probably the puns that makes Patience cute._

* * *

Unbeknownst by Ian and the others, two figures had been observing them from on top a cliff for quite some time now.

"Intruders!" One figure said. "Do you think it's them?"

"I don't know, they could be explorers." The other figure said.

"No one in their right mind would even DARE step into Master's island unless for malicious intent! They could be after the artifact! We just discovered another group of intruders entering from the other side of the island!"

"Good point, inform the others! We will prepare an ambush and capture them! We will let Master Entei decide what to do with the intruders."


	55. Guardians Of The Island

Ampharos scanned the tight corridors of the volcano ahead of him, making sure no one was following them. When the coast was clear, he lifted his hand and waved forward, signaling Archen and Buizel to go ahead.

Someone was following them, or rather, are aware of their presence here. The signs had grown progressively noticeable, from shadowy figures moving from the corner of their eyes, the feeling of being watched, and a lot of traps that the team nearly fell into. Needless to say it made Ampharos nervous, not for his safety, but that his assumption of Entei being the culprit being right.

"Odd, we have yet to encounter a single wild Pokemon on this floor." Archen commented.

"Good, these wild Pokemons are giving me quite the headache." Bunnelby said.

"Stay on your guard team, we're not out of this just yet." Ampharos said.

The three continued climbing up Fire Island Volcano until they come across a wide empty room, it was large enough for at least twelve Pokemon to fight in.

Large enough for an ambush.

The three Pokemon walked into the room cautiously, checking everywhere for any Pokemon that were hiding.

"I got a bad feeling about this..." Archen muttered.

"Oh great," Bunnelby said. "You've just jinxed us n-"

Just then, the ground began to shake, a barrage of figures dropped down and surrounded them. Ampharos counted seven Pokemon that were slightly shorter than him, they had a distinct odd head shape that almost look like a flame.

Magmars.

"What did I just say?" Bunnelby muttered, regarding the jinx.

Just then, a larger, much bigger Pokemon slowly entered the room, its appearance looks fairly similar to that of a Magmar, but even more menacing, with cannon for arms.

"I, am Magmortar." The hulking Pokemon said. "I am the leader of Clan Magmar."

"Charming..." Ampharos muttered under his breath.

"Born from the very magma of this volcano, I was raised and trained by Master Entei for the sole purpose of protecting the artifact."

"Wait, what artifact?" Archen asked.

"Don't you DARE play coy with me!" Magmortar exclaimed, pointing one of his arm cannons at the group. "Why else would you be here other than to destroy the artifact?!"

I doubt we'll be able to negotiate this fellow to stand down. Ampharos thought to himself. Guess we'll just have to do it the old fashion way: defeat them.

"You got a plan chief?" Bunnelby asked?

"Just do what you do best, battling."

"Copy that." Archen acknowledged.

The group readied themselves as Magmotar and the Magmars got themselves ready too. Ampharos wasn't sure whether if he was the one who threw the first attack, but when his Zap Cannon struck one of the Magmar, sending him flying into a wall, that was went all hell broke loose.

No turning back now.

* * *

"This looks unsettling..." Ian said.

"No kidding." Patience added.

The four of them had arrived at an open area, which appeared to be near the volcano peak, there was lava everywhere and they were standing on a relatively narrow natural platform. The thought of falling into the lava and burning alive unsettled Ian, he felt a flood of sweat dripping down his face, the intensity of the heat was really taking a toll on him. He turned his head to Patience, and noticed that she too, was sweating, it must be really hot and humid up here if even a fire type could sweat here.

"I don't see Entei around." Buizel said, scanning the area.

"Maybe he's not home?" Patience said.

"Or hiding." Gadget added.

"Halt! You are not supposed to be here."

The four Pokemon turned their head upwards, to where the voice originated from, and saw a big, black, dog-like Pokemon standing at the edge of the cliff above them, next to it were seven other smaller black dog-like Pokemons.

"A pack of Houndours and a Houndoom as their leader..." Gadget told the others.

"Who are you? And why have you come to this island?" The Houndoom said.

"How about you do the honors first," Ian said. "you clearly have the height advantage here so I think the dominant one here should go first."

"Hmm, very well then."

The Houndoom jumped off the cliff, along with the rest of its pack, landing right in front of Ian and the others.

"Even grounds, Mudkip." He said, almost as if a gesture of generosity. "My name is Houndoom, I lead my pack through thick and thin. Driven from our homeland, we aimlessly wandered the earth like nomads to survive. Until Entei took us in, gave us a place to call home in return protecting the island from anyone who dares touchs the artifact."

"Artifact? what artifact?" Buizel asked.

Houndoom eyes widened, as if he was surprised with Buizel's reply.

"Why are you here?" He asked.

"We are here under the Expedition Society." Gadget explained. "We are here to take Entei in for questioning under suspicion of being involved with the turning-to-stone incidents of multiple Pokemon."

"You dare accuse Master Entei of such heinous crimes?!" One of the Hounours hound, looking like he was going to rip out someone's throat.

"Watch your tongue!" Houndoom howled back, silencing the Houndor. "And do you have proof of for your claims?"

Gadget hesitated for a moment. "No..." she replied.

Houndoom remained silent for what seem like forever, before finally responding.

"Then I am afraid you must leave, for you are trespassing and have no evidence against Master Entei."

"No...! And we were so close..." Patience muttered, feeling disappointed. Ian silently cursed, they had come this far, only to be sent away due to lack of concrete proof. But Entei must know something about the incident, it can't be coincidence he had stumbled upon Latios and Latias by coincidence.

"No," Gadget said. "we are not leaving."

"Gadget?! What are you doing?!" Buizel whispered.

"My father once said: 'If you really want to achieve something, use whatever means necessary.'" Gadget said, she took a step forward, getting into her battle position. "If I want to find out who turned my family into stone, then I'm not going to let a few Pokemon stop me from finding the truth."

While the others could empathize with Gadget, they were still nervous about being outnumbered in this fight. Ian and Buizel knew that had the type advantage in this situation, but experience has taught them there was more to a fight than just having the type advantage. The three stood guard, getting into battle positions as well.

"If that is what you wish, then you leave us no other choice..." Houndoom, he stared down at the floor for a moment, before saying his last words.

"I will spill your blood with regret."

Before the group could even react, a Houndour lunged forward at breakneck speed toward them, Gadget reacted faster by launching a Thunderbolt and hitting him, the Houndour flinched for a moment, giving Ian enough time to fire a Water Gun, sending the Houndour hurling and slamming into a wall, putting him down for the count.

 _One down_. The mudfish Pokemon thought.

The rest of the Houndour packed ran forward and quickly surrounded the Expedition Society members, the four Pokemon stood back to back, facing the opposition.

"If anyone has a plan, now would be a good time to share it." Buizel said, readying a move.

Ian quickly shuffled through his bag and randomly took out an orb, he wasn't sure what the orb does, he must have picked it up somewhere earlier but never got the time to examined it closely. Nevertheless, he was pressed for time and was desperate. Ian raised the high into the air and a glow from the appeared for a brief moment. Suddenly, dark clouds began forming above them, and it began to rain. The water turning into steam as it hit the hot volcanic ground. It turned out to be a Rainy Orb.

"Hey, this could actually work! Good thinking Ian!" Buizel praised. He spun and dashed at one of the Houndours, hitting with him an Aqua Jet and taking massive damage.

"Thanks...?" He awkwardly said.

"I'm at a huge disadvantage here," Patience said, interrupting herself to launch a Psybeam at another Houndour, missing. "the rain hinders me from using my fire type moves so I can only rely on my Psybeam!"

Ian nodded in acknowledgement, that meant he was going to have to cover for Patience because she's heavily hindered by the rain.

In the corner of his eyes, he saw a figure flying towards him, it was one of the Houndour. The mudfish Pokemon noticed that one of his hands was still in the bag, he grabbed the first thing in his bag and threw it. Unfortunately for Ian it was only a Rawst Berry. It hit the Houndour and did nothing to him, only angering him even further.

 _Oh shit_.

Ian didn't have enough time to launch a Water Gun or use an item, the only thing he could do was Tackle it. The two of them butted heads, Ian felt a jolt of pain flow through his head, as he try to regain his balance. The Houndour didn't wait as he attempted to lunge at Ian once more with a Bite, but was interrupted when a stream of water crash into him, knocking him out. Ian turned to see Buizel who was the one who had saved him, the two nodded.

 _Two down_.

Just then, Houndoom howled into the sky, a sense of empowerment radiating from him. The dark clouds above slowly scattered, not long after sunlight began shining brightly over the area.

"Sunny Day..." Gadget muttered as she launch a Swift attack at the hurt Houndour, sending him hurling to a wall and fainting.

 _Three down_.

Patience smiled at the sudden appearance of intense sunlight, she was no longer at a disadvantage. The fire fox Pokemon launched a Flamethrower attack at Houndoom, her flames were big, almost double her size, however the dark Pokemon reacted quickly and used Protect, a ray of light deflected the fire as it sprayed across the ground.

"Dang...!" She muttered.

The Houndoom retaliated by charging a beam of light and fired it, Patience froze as she knew exactly what it was.

 _Solarbeam_.

The fire fox Pokemon tried moving but realize she didn't have enough time to avoid it, as the beam drew closer, all she could do was close her eyes and prayed that it wouldn't hurt as much. An explosion followed soon after, causing her ears to ring. But, she didn't feel any pain. When she finally opened her eyes, she knew exactly why.

On the ground in front of her, laid a motionless Buizel, the sea weasel Pokemon had jumped in front of the Solarbeam and took the entire blast of the attack, protecting Patience. There was no doubt that Buizel was heavily injured from that attack.

Patience felt a surge of anger flow through her, Buizel didn't deserve this, she shouldn't have been so careless and not freeze up for that split second, that way Buizel wouldn't have to jump in front to protect her. The fire fox Pokemon stepped in front of Buizel, her rage uncontrollable, she yelled out as a huge stream of fire came out of her mouth, forming into a strange looking symbol as it struck two of the Houndours, knocking them both out.

 _Five down_.

Ian and Gadget ran up to Buizel to check how injured he was.

"Looks like he's knocked out." Gadget said.

"You don't say..." Ian sarcastically whispered to himself, the two then approached Patience to see if she was okay.

"That... was a Fire Blast right?" She asked, referencing the move she had just use.

"Yes, yes it was." Gadget answered.

The three Pokemon cut their conversation short as Houndoom and the two remaining Houndours approached them.

"I admit, you four fight most impressively," Houndoom praised. "especially you." The dark Pokemon pointed at Ian, who was surprised by the compliment. "What is your name, Mudkip?"

"Uh... Ian." He reluctantly replied.

"Ian... I will remember that name, you are a resourceful Pokemon, using items on the fly with varying degrees of success, I am not sure whether to call you skilled, or incredibly lucky."

Ian felt nervous, it was odd talking to a Pokemon who has great respect for you but at the same time wanted to kill you.

"That is why I'm giving you one last chance, leave now or die." Houndoom's respectful persona suddenly disappearing, turning completely serious as he was before. For a brief moment, Ian considered backing down, he was afraid of what Houndoom would do them, how his method of 'killing' would be. He recalled what had just happened to Buizel, would he really want that to happen to the others?

 _Especially Patience_.

"No," Ian replied. "we are not going to leave this place." The mudfish turned around to look at Gadget and Patience, they both nodded, indicating that they were supporting his decision as well. Houndoom sighed and shook his head in disappointment at the mudfish Pokemon's response.

"Then I suppose you leave me with no choice..."

Houndoom and the Houndours readied themselves, a beam of light appearing from their mouths, three Solarbeams.

 _Uh oh._

The Solarbeams fired, aimed primarily at Ian. The mudfish Pokemon was about to try ducking and covering. But Gadget grabbed him from behind, threw him behind her and quickly launched a Thunderbolt to try stopping the blast, the Thunderbolt stopped it for a few seconds, but it inevitably broke and hit Gadget, sending her flying and landing hard onto the ground, visibly injured and shaking.

"Gadget!" Ian and Patience exclaimed.

"How noble of her," Houndoom commented. "sacrificing herself to protect the weaker ones. Now that's someone worthy of her claws. Now, enough stalling, it's time to end this once and for all!"

The three canine Pokemon slowly crept up to Ian and Patience, who were not only overwhelmed in terms of strength and numbers, but they were also exhausted, all of the dodging and attacking had quickly wore them out. Ian stood closer to Patience, ready to protect her, the fire fox Pokemon did the same for her partner. If they were going to die here, they might as well die fighting together.

Just then, Ian felt his Harmony Scarf tightened, so tight that it nearly suffocated him. It caught him by surprise. Patience too felt her scarf tightened, making her uncomfortable. Suddenly, the scarves began to glow bright green, nearly blinding the two.

"O-our scarves!" Ian exclaimed.

Houndoom stopped dead in his tracks, shocked as to what he was witnessing. "What...?!" He said.

The bright light quickly intensified, slowly enveloping the two Pokemon. Ian's vision was nothing but white light now.

* * *

Light, all Ian could see was a bright white light.

The mudfish Pokemon tried walking, but soon realize that there was no ground, he was floating in a shapeless void.

Am I... dead? He thought, that was a possibility, all he could remember was his Harmony Scarf glowing brightly and being consumed by it.

Wait a minute...

Ian looked down at his neck and noticed that his scarf was missing. Before he could even wonder where it went, he felt something in his body. He couldn't explain the feeling, but he felt something had entered his body and began reworking his insides, he felt his body changing.

Changing... transforming him.

* * *

Ian's vision returned to normal as he began seeing the familiar sight of Fire Island Volcano again. He saw Houndoom and the two Houndours in front of him, but their expressions were one that he wasn't expecting.

They were in shock.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Ian asked, only, it wasn't his voice that came out of his mouth, it was a much deeper voice, one that seemed almost alien to Ian. He look at his hands, and realized that they were much bigger than before, everything about him felt... different.

"Holy shit Ian!" A deep female voice said.

Ian turned around to the voice and was greeted with the sight of a two legged fox-like creature, with a stick coming out of its tail.

It was Patience, but she looked completely different.

"Patience...? B-but how? What-"

"You two evolved...?!" Gadget muttered, still laying on the ground, unable to move her body.

Ian and Patience looked at each other in shocking realization, unable to process what had just happened.

The Harmony Scarves had fully evolved them into a Swampert and Delphox.

"Well, this is most unexpected." Houndoom said. "But it changes nothing!" Houndoom roared into the air, ordering the two Houndours to attack Ian and Patience. Patience instinctively reached for the stick in her tail and waved it at one of the Houndour, fire launched from the stick and damaged him, she stared at the stick in surprise, impressed by its power. Ian followed soon by launching with what he thought at first was Water Gun, but instead a beam of ice came out and struck the Houndour, freezing him solid.

"That works." He said to himself as he dashed for the frozen Houndour, as he grabbed the solid ice encasing the Pokemon, jumping high up into the air and throwing it at his friend. The impact caused the ice to break as it hit the other Houndour while the previously frozen one landed on top of him, both instantly knocked out.

"Such power..." Houndoom muttered, he was the only one left standing, and he wasn't going to give up just yet. He roared once more, determined more than ever to defeat them, he fired a Dark Pulse at Patience, she fired her stick once more, this time calling out a Psybeam. It struck the Dark Pulse and disperse it, Patience didn't stop there as she waved her stick again, this time it caused Houndoom to float a few centimeters into the air, she slammed the Houndoom onto the ground, once, twice, three times. The dark Pokemon was heavily damaged now, barely able to maintain his own balance, he was an easy target now.

"Now Ian!" Patience shouted. Ian nodded as he turned to the weakened Houndoom, he took a deep breath before unleashing one last water attack, one that was double his current size, the recoil from the water blast was so powerful, it pushed Ian back a bit. The water blast struck Houndoom head on, pushing him onto a wall so hard that it left a dent. Houndoom laid that for a few seconds before falling onto the ground, motionless.

 _It was over, the battle was finally over._

Ian and Patience looked at each other and grabbed each other's hand in celebration. Ian noticed that Patience was smiling, but it wasn't one of warmth or friendliness.

 _It was one of confidence_.

Just then, the same bright line shined around their necks, where their Harmony Scarves once were, the light consumed them once more.

Shortly afterwards, Ian was greeted to the sight of a Fennekin once more, they had grown shorter again and were back to their normal selves.

"What... was that?!" Patience asked.

"I have no idea, but that was freaking amazing!" Ian exclaimed, the adrenaline from the battle still in his body, his heart was still pounding, he was still excited.

Gadget slowly got up from the ground and limped her way over to the two Expedition Society members, still shocked with the events that had just transpired.

"And we arrived just when all the action is over!"

The three turned to the source of the voice, who turned out to be Archen. Ampharos and Bunnelby by his side too.

"Well, you sure left quite a mess..." Ampharos commented, looking around at the damage left behind by the battle. "Oh my, Buizel is down."

The group immediately approached Buizel, who was finally conscious, but was still unable to move his body.

"Is it over...?" He asked.

"Yeah, and quite spectacularly if I do say so myself." Ian answered. Buizel let out a slight chuckle which unfortunately caused him to clutch his body in pain.

"It's too bad I missed it then." Buizel said.

"You could have just called you know."

The Expedition Society member turned and saw Entei, holding a half eaten apple in one of his hands. He looked around at the carnage and simply sighed.

"I... apologize for the rude intrusion of your home and the beating your guards took." Ampharos said.

"I really need to teach them a lesson of how to greet visitors instead of trying to kill them." Entei said. "I take it you're here for a good reason?"

"We would like to ask you a few questions regarding the turning-to-stone incidents." Ampharos said, Ian noticed that the lighthouse Pokemon intentionally left out the detail about how the Expedition Society had suspicions of Entei being the culprit, but demanding answers after accusing someone wasn't exactly the best strategy.

 _For now, they were only telling half the truth to Entei_.

"I see, very well then, follow me back and we'll talk there. Also, I'll help you with your injured friends over there." Entei pointed towards Gadget and Buizel, who had suffered the most injuries from that battle. The volcano Pokemon then turn around and headed off, Ampharos ordered Archen and Bunnelby to carry the injured Buizel off, as the group continued forward. Ian was the last one behind the group, for he had walked up to the motionless Houndoom, placed a Sitrus Berry next to him and written a note he had teared out from his notebook for him to see when he finally wakes up.

 _'Sorry about that,_

 _Ian.'_

* * *

"Here, drink this." Entei said, handing Gadget a cup of strange substance. "It's healing berries and a couple of herbs, boiled under volcanic fire."

"Thank you..." Gadget said, accepting the drink, she took a sip of the drink, the taste was indescribable, it was a mixture of sweet and bitter, but Gadget have tasted worse concoctions to heal herself, especially ones from Glaceon. She felt somehow conflicted, not only being treated and cared for by the potential culprit of turning Pokemon into stone mercilessly, but also a legendary Pokemon no less. It felt... uncomfortable.

Entei got another cup of medicine and handed it to Buizel, who was slumped against the wall, resting. Buizel slowly took the cup and drank it, nodded at Entei and closed his eyes, wanting to rest for a bit. Entei got up and left the room, into the main hall where the other Expedition Society members were, sitting down by a fire place.

"Nice place you got here." Ian said, looking around Entei's home which was actually a huge cave. It was well furnished, with carpets all across the room and a few paintings hung on the wall.

"Hey, just because I'm an intimidating Legendary Pokemon doesn't mean I can't have taste you know. So, what questions do you wish to ask?"

"We would like to ask you some questions regarding you encountering with my colleagues in the Air Continent." Ampharos said.

"I see... I truly apologize for attacking your colleagues, especially the son of Team Blazing Griffin."

"It's alright! You were just acting on instinct in a dangerous situation, we don't blame you." Archen said, waving his wing off.

 _I mean, you weren't the one who got his tail burned_. Ian thought.

"So, I'm curious as to why were you in the Air Continent?" Archen asked. "I doubt you were there to sightsee."

"No, I wasn't." Entei replied. "I was actually, like you, investigating the turning-to-stone incidents as well?"

"What made you do so?" Ampharos asked.

"My brothers, Raikou and Suicune had informed me that a few legendaries had been turned into stone."

"WHAT?!" The group exclaimed at the same time, shocked at the sudden reveal of new information.

"So... it wasn't just Latios and Latias..." Patience said, almost a whisper.

"The most recent one had been the Legendary Pokemon of the sea, Kyogre, several water type Pokemons found him laying on the sea floor, completely turned to stone."

"Damn..." Bunnelby said.

"That still doesn't explain your presence in the Mystical Forest." Ampharos said.

"I'm getting there," Entei shot back, almost annoyed at the lighthouse being inpatient. "I had made my way to the Mystical Forest because I was trying to make contact with an acquaintance of mine to help me with my investigations, another Legendary Pokemon named Celebi.

"Celebi? You mean the Pokemon that could travel through time?" Patience said.

"Correct, I was seeking for Celebi because I wanted her help to travel back in time to see if she could locate the origin of these turning-to-stone incidents. When did it happen? What is the motive? And who was the one behind all this? But unfortunately, Celebi was nowhere to be found at her home in Time Travel Lake, it was then I saw two objects falling from the sky and crashing near where I was."

"Latios and Latias's crash..." Archen said.

"When I arrived at the site, I was shocked to see that it was the Eon Twins, turned to stone. It was then I got scared, if they had just been turned into stone recently..."

"...then the culprit must be nearby." Ampharos finished.

"Precisely, that was when I began hastily searching the area, hoping to catch the culprit red-handed."

"But that was when you found us instead." Archen said.

"Yes, I figured I should return to the site, hoping that's where I would find the culprit, and well... you know the rest."

Ian remained silent throughout the entire conversation,his mind still lingering of the battle with Houndoom. He was still confused as to how he and Patience were able to fully evolve to their final forms instantaneously and turn back after the battle? He has yet to wrap his head around it. When he was reminiscing about the battle, he then recalled what Houndoom had ask of their purpose was, something that he had been meaning to ask Entei ever since.

The artifact.

"Entei, I have a question I've been meaning to ask you." He said.

"Go ahead... uh..."

"Ian."

"Ian, what is it that you wish to ask?"

"What's this about an artifact that you have on this island?"

Entei's eyes widened at the mention of the artifact.

"Who told you about this?" He asked, the tone of his voice made it sound as if it was a demand.

"Houndoom did, said it was the reason we were here."

"Magmortar too, he didn't really give us enough time to explain ourselves." Ampharos added.

Entei stared at Ian for a few moments, taking a few moments to process the information, he then let out a loud sigh and shook his head.

"These Pokemon... they really don't think things through, not only attacking visitors but also revealing information? They are going to have to be taught a lesson."

"So, what's this artifact all about? Can you show us please?" Patience asked.

"I suppose there's no point denying it now, follow me."

Entei headed off, gesturing the group to follow him, everyone followed the volcano Pokemon, Gadget who had overheard the conversation, got up and followed after then as well, leaving Buizel by himself sleeping.

The group followed Entei through a series of tight corridors with a couple of twists and turns. The further they went, the more they realized that they were sweating. Eventually, they reached a door, one made of steel. It was one that Ian has never seen before, and judging by the expressions by the other Expedition Society members, so were they.

Entei pulled opened the door, and the group were greeted with the sight of a lone steel pillar, standing on a lone platform, surrounded by nothing but lava. Above the room was the sky, Ian immediately connected the dots as to the location of this room.

 _The artifact was inside the volcano itself._

"Watch you step," Entei advised, slowly walking over the rather narrow path that led to the platform. "I don't want someone to become a roasted Pokemon." He let out a short laughter, no one else joined him, they honestly felt more disturbed by that implication.

This guy has a weird sense of humor... Ian thought to himself.

"Is that the artifact?" Ampharos asked.

"Yes, an ancient artifact dating all the way back to the time of humans."

"I'm sorry what?!" Ian exclaimed, surprised he had just said.

"Did you just say... humans?!" Patience exclaimed as well.

"So what does it do?" Gadget asked.

"That, I have no idea." Entei replied. "I had found some documents in a cave not far from here, it was written in human language but I had managed to decipher it. It speaks of this device, sealing... something from the rest of the world. Apparently something so strong and powerful that wrecked havoc upon the world during that time."

"An ancient evil...? That sounds like something straight from a myth." Bunnelby said.

"Entei, are there other devices such as this one?" Ampharos asked.

"Yes, the documents speaks of four others, two of them on the islands my brothers reside, and the last one where we have yet to confirm it's location."

"I see..."

Ian and Patience both approached the device, Ian noticed that were engravings on the pillar, one that he could barely make out for it had long since faded. He brushed his hands against the structure, a faint light glowed wherever his hands are in contact with the pillar.

"A.M.D.R.O..."Ian spelled out. "Hey Patience, do you see this?"

"Yeah, I can read it too." She said.

"What...?! How are you able to read human lettering so easily?!" Entei exclaimed, in shocked at how easily Ian and Patience had read the engravings.

"Well... to tell you the truth, I actually used to be a human." Ian explained. "I woke up in a forest to find out that I had suddenly turned into a Mudkip."

"I see... I suppose that explains it." Entei said.

"Wait, you're not surprised at all?"

"No, you're the first human turned Pokemon to have come to our world, many others have came before you."

Ian looked at the others, hoping to hear that Entei was simply pulling his leg.

"I'm afraid he's right Ian, you're not the first human turned Pokemon. That's why I wasn't surprised when you told me." Ampharos said.

The mudfish Pokemon felt as if a part of his heart had just shattered into a thousand pieces. There goes his thought of being someone unique and one of a kind in this world.

"And what about you? Are you a human turned Pokemon as well?" Entei asked Patience.

"I-I don't know honestly, I mean... I don't remember being a human, but that doesn't explain me being able to read human words." Patience explained.

"Hmm..." Entei mumbled, unsure as to how to respond to that, for all he knew it was simply a natural gift given to her by Arceus himself.

"I think we've heard enough, Entei. Thank you for sharing this with us." Ampharos said.

"Promise me, that you will not speak of what you've seen here to anyone else." Entei requested.

Ampharos turned to the rest of the Expedition Society members and they all nodded in agreement.

"You have our word Entei, and with that, I think we can safely say that this expedition was a resounding success! Good job everyone! Let's go home!"

"HOORAY!" The whole group cheered as they began to leave the room, Ian and Patience lagged behind, their minds racing even more questions now. Regarding their Harmony Scarves, AMDROS, and an ancient evil.

"Arceus... I need some Shuckle Juice right about now..." Ian said.

"I second that." Patience said, as the two began preparing for the long journey back home.


	56. Fian

Ian laid uncomfortably in his bed, staring at the ceiling of the room. His mind racing with thoughts of what had just happened today.

They had just returned home almost an hour ago, just after dinner. Swirlix had prepared them the leftovers from earlier to eat. Albeit the stewardess had took some of it for herself while preparing. Ampharos had announced that a debriefing would be held after morning call, everyone had to report to his office.

He didn't know how he was willing to accept the ancient artifact on Fire Island Volcano that had human writings on it, Amdros... according to Entei was apparently a seal of sorts, keeping an ancient evil from awaking, along with two other similar artifacts guarded by his brothers, Raikou and Suicune.

Somehow he was alright with all that, what unsettled him the most were the Harmony Scarves. He was drawing a complete blank with it. Somehow managing to evolve into a Swampert but also reverting them back later, as if it was a temporary evolution, it left him with more questions than answers.

Ian turned his head to Patience, who was sleeping comfortably in her bed, as if the events had completely unfazed her, either that or she's just really tired.

 _Is there something that you're hiding, Patience? Even if you're unaware of it?_

He shook those thoughts from his head, no, even if Patience was hiding something from him, he shouldn't think that way. Patience was his partner after all, he had to believe in her no matter what happens, it's what being a friend is.

Ian got out from his bed, his mind was too occupied for him to fall asleep right now, he might as well go outside for a bit to clear his thoughts. The mudfish Pokemon opened the door and left the room, the corridor was dimly lit, only the small lights placed next to everyone's room illuminated the hall. It was then he noticed at the corner of his eye at the end of the corridor the infirmary door left slightly ajar, light came from inside the room.

 _Was Glaceon still up?_

Changing his mind, he decided to give the doctor a visit, maybe she could help out with his sleep problem. He approached the infirmary door and quietly pushed it open.

"Hey there Glaceon." Ian greeted as he entered the infirmary.

"Ian? Why are you up so late?" Glaceon asked, as she got up from her desk.

"I could ask you the same thing, aren't you tired?"

"Nah, I'm honestly more productive at night, the quietness helps me focus."

"I see."

"Can't sleep?" Glaceon asked.

"Yeah, what happened at Fire Island Volcano is keeping awake."

"A lot of questions in your head but no answers to them?

The mudfish Pokemon nodded, leaving the both of them in an awkward silence, not knowing where to continue from there. They finally decided to drop the topic.

Ian approached Glaceon's desk and began examining the contents that laid on the table. It was tidy and well organized, with stacks of paper and books arranged neatly on a shelf. The ice Pokemon had been writing something in a notepad before Ian had entered. Ian assumed it was something medical related because he couldn't understand anything that was written on it.

"What's this?" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"Some medical theories," she replied. "I'm trying to create a sort of tool to instantly stop blood from leaking out a wound."

"So like instant bandages?"

"Eh... something like that."

Ian further examined the desk and noticed something familiar on top of one of the shelves. The picture of Glaceon when she was an Eevee and her team of doctors, Team Reviver. Ian picked up the photo and began looking at it, the smile of the Eevee in the picture was just a bright and sunny as the Glaceon in front of her right now.

"Just as cute as ever." The mudfish Pokemon complimented.

Glaceon giggled, "You really think so?" She said.

It was then that Ian turned the picture around and noticed some writing on it that took him by surprise.

' _Never forget us, Faith!'_

"Faith?" Ian asked.

"That's... actually my real name." Glaceon said, slightly embarrassed.

"Really now? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because it reminds me of... you know, that incident." She replied, now frowning. "Team Reviver actually gave me that name, said that me becoming a doctor brought them faith in the next generation of Pokémon doctors."

"That's a huge role to fill." Ian commented.

"No kidding."

"I like the name."

"You do...?"

"Yeah, I think it really fits you," Ian paused for a moment, unsure if he wanted to say it. It would probably seem very sudden to Glaceon.

"a cute name for a very cute girl."

It was then he had noticed that Glaceon's face turned dark red, blushing in embarrassment at the sudden compliment from Ian, she was left speechless, not knowing how to respond.

"I... didn't know that's how you felt about me Ian..." She said.

"I uh, that wasn't what I meant to say!" Ian defended. "I-I was just trying to say you had a really nice name that's all!" Ian didn't know why he suddenly became nervous, why was he suddenly getting all defensive about this?

 _Great job Ian, you just made this entire thing awkward._

"I... I think I should go..." Ian said, as he awkwardly shuffled his way to the door, as he was about to open the door, Glaceon grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"Please..." She said. "Could you stay with me a little longer?"

Ian looked straight into her eyes, he saw something in those sapphire blue eyes, it was something he wasn't expecting from Glaceon.

 _A faint sense of innocence._

Ian sighed, he didn't want to upset her, not when those eyes were staring back at him. It wouldn't be of him to leave someone alone when they needed it the most.

 _Especially if it was a girl._

The mudfish Pokemon grabbed Glaceon's hands, tightening his grip on it to indicate he wasn't going to leave.

"Of course, Faith." He said, giving her a huge grin.

Faith smiled when she heard that, she let go of Ian's hand and returned back to her work, with Ian by her side, she seemed even more confident of finishing her work as the two stayed up until the crack of dawn. For that brief moment, Faith felt as if she was her old self again, back then it was spending time with a best friend.

Now, it was with someone she was starting to develop feelings for.

* * *

A/N: Were you surprised? I sure hope so because that was the entire point. I remembered saying that I will never thread into romance territory when I began writing this story, guess that has changed.

So there you go, it is not Ian and Patience who are in a romantic relationship, it's Ian and Faith instead, I honestly find it more fitting for both of their characters, it just fits.

I even have a name for the ship, which is the name of the chapter: Fian, which is me combining Faith and Ian's name together.

Let me know what you all think about this new ship, and with that, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	57. Debriefing

"Ian! Come on Ian wake up! We're going to be late!"

Patience continued shaking the mudfish Pokemon until his oeyes open, he look and felt extremely groggy.

Ian had only went to sleep when he had noticed the night sky slowly disappearing outside the infirmary window when he was keeping Faith company while she did her work, he had been so engaged talking with talking with her about an array of topics that he had completely forgotten about the time until Faith reminded him.

Ian didn't know why, but he felt like this was the most fun he has had just by talking with someone. Sure, Patience was a fun Pokemon to be around, with her cheerful and energetic personality, but someone like Faith, who seemed like the timid, quiet Pokemon in a group, just like him, it seemed to click just perfectly.

Ian snapped out of those thoughts as he slowly got out from his bed, eyes still half closed.

"Mind not yelling? It really hurts my ears." He said, rubbing his eyes.

"What's up with you? It's unlike you to oversleep." Patience said, a slight hint of concern in her voice.

"Just... exhausted from yesterday's battle that's all." Ian lied, he had considered wanting to tell Patience about the time he had spent with Faith, but he felt it wasn't the right time yet.

 _Soon, but not now._

"Come on! We'll be late for morning call!"

Before Ian could speak, Patience had already bolted out the room, the mudfish Pokemon simply groan and slowly made his way out, and made his way into the main hall. He was greeted with the sight of all the other Expedition Society members turning to face the last Pokemon to arrive. Ian noticed that both Gadget and Buizel were up and about, albeit with some bandages around their body, he also caught sight of Faith, who gave him a warm smile and a wink.

 _How the heck is she able to look so refreshed with little sleep?_ Ian thought to himself.

"Care to explain why you are late?" Ampharos asked.

"Overslept, sorry..." Ian apologized, looking down at the floor in disappointment.

The lighthouse Pokemon sighed. "I'll let off this time, but don't do it again alright?"

"Yes chief..."

"Now, go form up with the others."

Ian and Patience nodded and stood among the other Expedition Society members. Ian stood next to Faith, just far enough from Patience so that she doesn't notice her partner missing.

"How do you look so refreshed?" Ian asked Faith. The ice Pokemon simply giggled at the response.

"I have my ways you know!" She said.

"Now that everyone is here, I would like to wish everyone a good day! Give it your all out there team!" Ampharos said.

"Yes sir!" The group all yelled at once.

As the other Expedition Society members began dispersing, heading off to their normal duties, the ones that were part of the expedition to Fire Island Volcano gathered in Ampharos's office for a debriefing. The Expedition Society chief sat down by his desk, hands folded. Mawile stood next to him in order to supervise the proceedings.

"With the success of this expedition, we can safely assume that Entei is not the culprit we've been looking for." Ampharos concluded. "Would anyone else like to add anything for the record?"

Gadget raised her hand, "I would like to add about the mysterious phenomenon that occurred with Ian and Patience's scarves."

"Come again?" The lighthouse Pokemon asked.

Everyone turned to face Ian and Patience, who were taken aback by the sudden attention. The two began retelling the events of what happened, how they're Harmony Scarves mysteriously glowed, and how they mysteriously evolved into their final forms, and after the battle, they changed back to their original form. It was how Ian and Patience were able to change the tide of the battle with the Houndoom clan.

"That is most... intriguing." Ampharos said, processing the entire story.

"If you don't mind, would it be okay if I examined your scarves?" Mawile asked. "I'm very interested in the potential in those scarves."

Patience shied away at the response, covering her Harmony Scarves as if to protect it.

"I'm sorry, but these Harmony Scarves mean a lot to me. They've been with me since the very beginning and..."

The fire fox Pokemon turned to Ian and gave him a smile.

"...I gave it to someone I trust with my life."

Ian nodded in agreement. "Same here, Patience."

"I understand, sorry for asking." Mawile apologized.

"No, no. It's alright!" Patience said. "I totally understand your desire to learn!"

"Anyway, with everything settled now. It's time we conclude this debriefing." Ampharos announced.

"So we're back to square one with the investigation." Buizel said. "We've made no progress whatsoever."

"One step forward, two steps back." Bunnelby added.

"There is a lead we could follow on: Celebi." Ampharos said.

Everyone in the room turned their attention to the chief, eager to hear what he has in mind.

"Entei was searching for Celebi because it would help him in his investigation correct? So I say we follow on that lead, see where it takes us."

"But there's only one problem with that chief." Archen said. "WHERE is Celebi?"

"Or when?" Gadget added.

"You all bring good points," Ampharos said. "we're going to have to look into that. We got a lot of work ahead of u-"

"CHIEF! CHIEFFFFF!"

Everyone in the room turned to the source of the high pitch voice that echoed through the headquarters, it was Dedenne's. The antenna Pokemon came running into the office, holding a piece of paper up on her head.

"What is it Dedenne?" Ampharos asked.

"It's him! He scattered a bunch of papers all over the front of our headquarters!"

"Who did?"

"The culprit! He sent us a threat, to stop hunting him down or else he'll come for us next!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cliffside not far from the Expedition Society Headquarters, a lone figure stood by a ridge, observing the building. When the figure noticed one of the members picking up the warning papers and bringing it inside, he decided to send a coded message that he and the rest of his group use to communicate.

"THEY TOOK THE BAIT, REPEAT, THEY HAVE TOOK THE BAIT."

"COPY THAT, WE WILL INFORM THE BOSS ABOUT IT. WE WILL SEND BAIT TO ENTEI AS WELL."

"WE HAVE WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THIS."

"ONLY A LITTLE LONGER BROTHER, BEFORE WE UNLEASH DARK MATTER ONTO THE WORLD, AND WITH IT, A NEW WORLD ORDER."


	58. Lockdown

_'Dear Expedition Society, it seems that your investigation into finding me has gotten a little too close for comfort. That is why I am demanding you to cease your investigations immediately. Failure to do so and I will turn everyone in your Society into stone and burn your headquarters to the ground. This is your only warning, you better think this through if you know what's best for you, and your entire Expedition Society.'_

Ampharos read the warning letter once more, his head beginning to ache from the countless questions that were in his head.

 _Why? Why the sudden change?_ He asked himself. It was only a few weeks ago the culprit was challenging them to find him, now he wanted them to stop? It didn't make any sense.

Regardless, Ampharos wasn't about to take any chances, this posed a major security risk, he had ordered every member of the Expedition Society to return to headquarters and await further orders, he had also put the building under lockdown, nobody enters or leaves the building without his consent first.

Never in my life did I think the Society would be the target for a sociopathic killer. Ampharos thought to himself as he placed the letter down on top of the other letters of the same content and left the room, heading downstairs to brief the other members. When he walked down the stairs, he saw all the Expedition Society members, discussing what he presumed was what's going on. Everyone turned their attention to the chief when they noticed him coming down the stairs.

"Mind explaining what's going on?" Jirachi asked, judging by the grouchy, tired look on his face, he had just woken up. "What's with this lockdown?"

"Yeah," Glaceon said. "I'm in short supply of Cheri Berries and I need to get more from Kecleon."

"Same goes for me! Our food supplies are running low again." Swirlix said. "And it's totally not because of me eating it... heheh..." she whispered to herself.

"Alright, alright calm down everyone." Ampharos requested. "I would like to explain our current situation. Due to a potential security risk, I'm putting the Expedition Society under lockdown for a unknown period of time."

The other Expedition Society members began making a fuss, the voices were that of frustration and confusion.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Buizel asked.

"Right now, I would like a few members to investigate who dropped the warning letters in front of our headquarters." Ampharos said. "Buizel, Archen and Patience, you'll be in charge of this."

Patience eyes widened in surprised at the mention of her name, not because she was chosen for the job, but more so that Ian wasn't going to be with her. She had been by Ian's side for quite awhile now, no matter the task or expedition, doing something without her mudfish partner makes her feel... vulnerable. She turned her head to Ian, who gave a reassuring nod in return, it was one that said "Don't worry, you'll do fine without me!"

 _At least, I hope that was what I hope Ian meant._

"Alright Patience, let's get going." Archen said, with Buizel by his side. The fire fox Pokemon nodded and followed the two Pokemon towards the entrance, Archen pulled opened the door and allowed Patience and Buizel to exit, before following after them and closing the door behind him, leaving the other Expedition Society members.

"With that out of the way, I would recommend everyone else to either help out the each other in their duties, or remain in your quarters until further orders, dismissed."

Ampharos turned and headed upstairs as everyone began to disperse from the room, some going back to their usual duties, while others headed back to their rooms, probably going back to sleep. Ian followed the latter and decided to head back to his room, he could use the extra sleep after last night. When Ian entered the room, he unslung his Expedition Bag, placed it on the side and crash into his bed.

 _Naps are great. It's like sleeping but just for a short time._ Ian thought to himself as he began closing his eyes.

Ian woke up two hours later, feeling much fresher now, he was about to get out from his bed and maybe help out with the other members when he noticed something next to Patience's bed. He got up to see what it was, it turned out to be a book.

' _A Romance of a Shinx and Vulpix! A Fiery but Shocking Relationship!'_

"It's Patience's romance book." Ian said to himself, he remembered seeing his partner reading it back when they were in the Air Continent. The mudfish Pokemon picked up the book and decided to open it, curious as to what was written in it. As Ian continued reading the book, he began to understand the plot of the story.

It was about a Shinx who was once a human waking up on a beach with no memories of who he was. The mudfish Pokemon was suddenly hit with deja vu and disappointment proving Ampharos's claim that humans weren't such a rare sight in this world after all. The Shinx is then found by a Vulpix who feels very lonely and needs someone to lean on. Ian at first scoffed at the concept of the plot, but before he knew it, he was engrossed in the book, unable to put it down as he read chapter after chapter.

Another two hours later, he had completed the book, putting the book back down, he let out a loud sigh.

"I can see why Patience enjoyed this book." He said to himself, he sort of understood why someone like her would enjoy a romantic plot like this, it really gives someone a warm fuzzy feeling. As he continued reminiscing about the few important plot points of the story, he remembered the time back in the Air Continent when Patience was playing with the twig necklace he gave her when reading the book. A sudden thought came into his head.

 _Does Patience like me?_

The thought surprised him as it came out of nowhere, Ian wasn't even sure how did he even reached to that conclusion, but the thought of it just continued lingering in his head. It was then he was reminded of the conversation he had with Faith a few days ago, about how he sort of had a crush on Patience. Why did I even say that? Did I really feel that way or was I not thinking straight? Ian calmed himself as he began recollecting his thoughts, it was true, there was a time where he sort of fell for the fire fox Pokemon, it was because of her cute and cheerful personality, but that was back in Serene Village, back when everything seemed much simpler, and the worst of their problems was wondering if Farfetche'd would surprise them with a pop quiz. Ian recalled yesterday how Patience had smiled when they defeated Houndoom, it seemed more like a smirk the more Ian began to ponder, it was one that was filled with confidence rather than childish innocence.

Times have changed, and so did Patience. Ian realized that his partner has grown ever since leaving Serene Village, instead of being cocky at times, and only wanted to join the Expedition Society for the thrill of adventuring, she has become more... patient, more humble about her duties as a member. No longer would she yelp in excitement with the discovery of a treasure in a dungeon, she would worry more about the safety of others, helping out Pokemon that are in danger, she knew that the biggest priority in an expedition was not the thought of what kind of treasure laid at the end of a dungeon, but rather the safety of those around her.

Ian smiled at the thought of that, what he felt now wasn't puppy love over his partner and friend, but rather it was respect. The mudfish Pokemon finally snapped from his thoughts, he had enough rest already, it was time to get something productive done. As Ian opened the door and left the room, he noticed that the hallway was empty, there was no one to be found roaming around.

Guess everyone else decided to take the day off then. Ian thought to himself as he stepped outside. He noticed as well that Buizel, Archen and Patience have not returned from their investigation yet. _Stay safe out there Patience._ Ian decided that he should give Faith a visit, she could probably use the extra help with her work.

Plus, I'm sure she wouldn't mind the extra company.

The mudfish Pokemon made his way to the end of the corridor, he noticed that the door to the infirmary was slightly ajar. He peeked inside the room and noticed Faith, her back turned against him, working on something by her desk, about a dozen different berries laid on her table. Ian slowly opened the door, not wanting to be noticed by the fresh snow Pokemon. He slowly creeped up to her and grabbed the two dangles that hang on her head and playfully cover her eyes with it.

"Guess who?" Ian sheepishly asked, unable to contain the smile that was forming on his face.

"If I have to guess," Faith said. "it has to be the unnaturally charming Mudkip, Ian."

"Right you are."

Ian let go of Faith's dangles as she turned around and playfully poked the mudfish Pokemon, he poked back in retaliation and soon a poking war began. It eventually ended with the two laughing it all off and Faith nuzzling her face against Ian, the coldness of her body made him shiver for a moment.

"How are you holding up?" The mudfish Pokemon asked as Faith stopped nuzzling.

"Been trying keep myself busy since I can't exactly get any work done without some supplies." The Expedition Society doctor replied. "So now I'm just experimenting on some berries to see if I can create some medicine out of it."

"That's pretty cool." Ian said as he examined the set up on Faith's desk, a mortar, pestle, a few syringes and a bottle of unknown liquid.

"You think so? It's honestly the most boring part of my job, most of the time the mixture doesn't even have any effect at all." Faith said. "By the way, care for some tea? I made some just now."

"Oh, that would be lovely." Ian said, excited at the thought of tea. It had seemed like forever since he last had a cup of tea. "Do we by chance have any milk right now?"

"I think Swirlix has already collected Milktank's delivery this morning, why?"

Ian smiled, "Let's just say I have a mixture with results that may surprise you."

* * *

"So you didn't see anyone walk up to our front door with a stack of paper?" Patience asked Snubull, one of the many residents in Lively Town regarding this mornings incident.

"Sorry, no." She answered. "I was out of town doing an errand at that time."

"I see, well, thank you for your time Snubull."

"I hope you'll find out your mystery Pokemon!" Snubull said as she saw herself out and disappeared into the crowded streets, living the fire fox Pokemon alone once more. She gave out a loud sigh, frustrated at how long this was taking them.

Just as she was about to find the others and check on their progress, Patience saw Buizel in the distance, slowly walking towards her, she noticed slightly limping, it seems his injuries from yesterday hasn't fully recovered yet. Just then, as if out of thin air, a big, hulking red Pokemon with black stripes on its body stood in front of Buizel and shoved him to the ground, causing the crowd of Pokemon to stop whatever they were doing and turned their heads at the commotion, some even gasping in shock at the sudden aggression.

"Miss me?" The red Pokemon said, he had a gruff and deep voice, one that could really intimidate anyone smaller than him, it was a voice Patience thought was similar to when her Pops gets a sore throat and was in a very grumpy mood.

"Krookodile..." Buizel muttered. "I see jail time hasn't changed you at all."

"And I can only thank YOU for that!" Krookodile exclaimed, kicking Buizel in the chest, the Expedition Society member gasped for air.

Patience eyes widened at the sudden attack and quickly broke into a dash, however the crowd of Pokémon now gathered around the two were overwhelming, slowing her down. While brushing past the crowd, the fire fox Pokemon continued to listen on Buizel and Krookodile's conversation.

"Not so tough now huh? After being completely destroyed by a grass move." Krookodile said. "Let's see how you like it if I gave you a good Shadow Claw to the face!"

"Hey, Big Lips!" Patience yelled as she finally got through the crowd.

Krookodile turned around and was confused at the sight of a mere Fennekin in front of him.

"Patience... no!" Buizel muttered as hard as he could without his chest aching.

"How cute," Krookodile said mockingly. "you trying to play hero here? Scram kid! This is grown up business!"

Without even thinking, words she wasn't expecting came out from her mouth. "Try me, Crocks!"

Krookodile' eyes began twitching with that insult. "Oh now you're really asking for it kid!" The intimidation Pokemon began slowly making his way to Patience, a Shadow Claw began forming in his hand.

Patience grew pale at the sight of the Shadow Claw, fear began creeping up her like an Spinarak was crawling on her body as her heart began pounding. She needed to think of something, and fast.

 _Think Patience think! What would Ian do at a time like this?_

 _..._

 _No. I can't be relying on Ian all the time, even when he's not with me. I need to think for myself, what would I do in a situation like this?_ Patience knew that she wouldn't be able to beat Krookodile with her own strength, and she doubt her Harmony Scarf would began to conveniently glow again and evolve her. The only conclusion she came to was to use an item on him. But what?

Just then, Patience had an idea and immediately sprang it into motion.

"Hey, is that Officer Magnezone over there?" Patience pretended to ask, pointing behind Krookodile.

"W-what? Where?!" Krookodile said nervously, turning his back to Patience to see if it was true.

The fire fox Pokemon quickly opened her Expedition Bag and dug through it, she quickly found what she was looking for, a wand. She grabbed the wand and immediately waved it at Krookodile just as he was turning around, in a blink of an eye, the hulking red and black Pokemon disappear out of thin air. It took a few moments for the crowd to register what had just happened and began clapping and cheering for Patience.

"Way to go Patience!"

"That's the kind of genius thinking I expect from an Expedition Society member!" One of many Pokemon from the crowd said.

The fire fox Pokemon felt a sense of slight embarrassment from all the praises. But she quickly shook those thoughts and immediately ran up to Buizel, who was just getting back up on his feet.

"Are you alright?!" Patience asked the sea weasel Pokemon as he tried standing up straight but nearly fell if not for Patience catching him mid fall.

"I've been better..." Buizel uttered, his voice weak.

"I go away for FIVE minutes and this happens!"

Patience turned her head to see Archen, running up to the two of them and helping Buizel steady himself as well.

"You know me, always getting into all sorts of trouble." Buizel said. "Thanks for helping me out, Patience. It was really brave of you to stand up for me."

"I guess this is thanks for saving me yesterday." The fire fox Pokemon said, as she finish her sentence, Patience noticed a slight smile forming on Buizel face, she wasn't sure why she has seen that kind of smile before.

It was a smile similar to Ian's whenever she helped him out of dire situations. It was a smile of gratitude.

"Who was that Pokemon anyway?" Patience asked.

"Krookodile," Archen replied. "an infamous outlaw that resides near Lively Town. He was arrested by Buizel over multiple charges of stealing and causing harm to other Pokemon. Looks like he had finally served his time and hasn't changed one bit."

"So that explains why he was so mad at you." Patience said, as she finally released Buizel hands when he was able to stand up on his own again.

"Yeah, looks like he has quite the grudge on m-" Buizel cut himself off as he expression slowly changed to one of sudden shock. "How did he know it was grass...?"

"What...?" Patience said, confused as to what he meant.

"Krookodile said: 'After being completely destroyed by a grass move.' How did he know I was hit by a Solarbeam?"

The three of them stood in silence for a moment. Before Buizel broke the silence with an agitated response.

"We have to get back to Headquarters and inform the Chief, NOW!"

"I-I don't think I'm still following you..." Patience said.

"Don't you get it?! There is only one conclusion as to how he might know that fact: He was at Fire Island Volcano!"

"Wait," Archen said. "Don't tell me that you-"

"Krookodile is a suspect in this case, and he could very well be the culprit behind all of this."


	59. Stakeout

Ampharos had decided to ask Dedenne to issue a Code Red Alert to everyone in the Expedition Society for meeting in the Crew Room, the reason he chose the Crew Room was because he had finally grown tired of having everyone gather at the lobby, he felt like a change of scenery could help him clear his thoughts and explain the situation better to the others. As the members started gathering in the Crew Room one by one. Some taking seats by the long table while others sat at the far end of the room where the smaller tables were.

"So," Ampharos said, he let out a small cough to clear his throat before continuing. "it appears we may have discovered a new lead thanks to Buizel's deduction."

"You're welcome." Buizel said. Patience turned behind and looked at the sea weasel Pokemon with a worried expression. He gave the fire fox Pokemon a reassuring nod, indicating that he was alright.

"Krookodile," Ampharos continued. "an outlaw who resides near Lively Town is suspected to be involved in the turning to stone incidents or is the culprit we have been looking for."

"If that's the case what are we waiting for? Let's go arrest him already!" Gadget exclaimed, her hands slamming hard on the table.

"Patience, Gadget. Uh... not you, Patience." Ampharos said, as he looked at the fire fox Pokemon at the far end of the table, who gave an unamused look in return. Ian, whom was next to her was trying his best to contain a laugh. "Ahem, anyway, with that said, we're going to need to perform a stakeout of Krookodile's home, we need to know more before we can make any arrests. Ian, Glaceon, I want you two to handle this task."

"What? Why me?" Glaceon asked, confused with the Expedition Society's chief decision. "I'm a doctor, not a spy."

"Well, I don't mean to offend the others, but the other members aren't exactly known for their... subtlety." Ampharos said as he turned his head to look at Archen and Bunnelby, who were sitting a few seats ahead of him.

"It was an accident!" Archen raised his hands in defense. "I didn't know my Bulldoze would destroy the entire cave system!"

"I tried to warn you." Bunnelby mumbled.

Ian was curious about the whole banter with Archen and Bunnelby, as well as the expedition they went on that Ampharos mentioned. Perhaps he should ask them one day.

"With that said, the two of you should get going." Ampharos ordered. "Krookodile's house is about a kilometer northeast of Lively Town. You would know it's his by the very unkept house in the middle of the forest."

"Let's go." Ian sat as he gave Faith a slight nudge to gain her attention. The fresh snow Pokemon nodded and got up from her chair as the two left the Crew Room. When the two were far enough from the other members hearing them, the two stopped and turned to face each other.

"Are you sure you're up for this Faith?" Ian asked with a concerned expression.

"I'll be fine." She replied. "It's just a stakeout, I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that, but this is a potentially dangerous criminal we're dealing with." Ian grabbed Faith by the shoulders, the coldness of her fur slightly shook Ian once more. "I'm... I'm just worried we'll both be in danger and... your safety is just as important as mine."

Faith gave the mudfish Pokemon a wink and stuck her tongue out at him playfully.

"This girl can handle herself." She said, the Expedition Society doctor then reached out a hand and poked Ian softly on the nose. "If I can't, I have a strong Mudkip that I can rely to help me."

Ian nodded and gave Faith a slight smile. "You can count on me, now let's get going, we best get this done before the end of the night."

"Right."

Ian and Faith continued making their way until the reached the entrance. Ian pulled opened the door and was about to step out when he noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground in front of the door.

"A warning paper?" Ian said. "Haven't we cleaned it all up already?"

"Wait, its not one of the warning letters." Faith mentioned, she picked up the piece of paper and flip it over, revealing the contents of it.

' _Town entrance, meet me there ASAP.'_

The handwriting of the note was scrambled and messy, as if whoever was writing this was in a hurry. "Who is this addressed to?" Ian asked.

"No clue," Faith replied, checking the rest of the paper to see if there was anything else, but to disappointing results. "only one way to find out."

Ian nodded in agreement as the two of them closed the door to the Expedition Society and headed off to find the mysterious sender at the town entrance.

When Ian and Faith arrived at the entrance of Lively Town, there wasn't anyone around. The two decided to search the nearby buildings to see if the mysterious sender was hiding for some reason, after searching for a couple of minutes to no success, the two decided to give up and continue with their mission. That's when a soft but audible voice whispered from nearby.

"Pssst, Ian! Over here!"

Ian and Faith turn to the source of the voice, which turned out to be a nearby bush, just outside the town entrance, the mysterious sender emerged from the bush and it turned out to be a Pokemon hasn't seen in quite awhile.

"Flecthinder?" Ian greeted, half confused at the journalist's unexpected appearance here and his method of meeting as well. When the mudfish Pokemon further examined Flecthinder, he noticed that his fedora was messy, and he had bags underneath his eyes, indicating that he had not gotten enough sleep.

"Did anyone follow you here?" Flecthinder asked, the tone of his voice was shaky and nervous, as if he was paranoid of something.

"No... why?" Ian asked, sounding more concerned.

"Okay g-good! Because I have something important I need to tell you! And I'm scared they might hear me! They have eyes and ears everywhere!"

"This guy is clearly suffering from sleep deprivation and paranoia, I need to check him out first." Faith said.

"Who's this? And where's Patience?"

"Oh, right. You two don't know each other. Faith, this is Flecthinder, a journalist from The Poké Daily, and Flecthinder, this is Faith, a doctor at the Expedition Society. Patience's not with me at the moment. Now Fletchinder, can you explain what's going on?"

Fletchinder took a moment to breathe, realizing now that he hadn't been thinking straight, he took a few deep breaths and readjusted his hat.

"I've been doing some investigating myself, about the turning to stone incidents." Fletchinder said. "I've gotten in contact with some... associates, to help me find some information."

"And?" Ian asked, slowly growing impatient.

"There has been rumors... rumors of a group of Pokemon that operate in the shadows. Also, and here's the kicker, apparently their leader is a Legendary Pokemon rumored as the embodiment of Death itself, and he does so, by turning them into stone."

"WHATTTTTTTTTTT?!" Ian and Faith both exclaimed in extreme shock at the new information.

"Mr Fletchinder... what you have right now is valuable information that is crucial to our investigations!" Faith said.

"Now hold on just a minute," Ian interrupted. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but do you have any concrete evidence of all this?"

"Now what kind of journalist who seeks the truth would I be if I didn't have solid evidence? I'll just get it out of my bag and-"

"Hold that thought Fletchinder, we have something that we need to do, meet us the Café Connection later alright?" Ian said, grabbing Faith's hand and pulling her forward past the journalist.

"Wait, where are you going?" He asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"Investigating a lead of our own."

* * *

"Stupid little Fennekin...!" Krookodile mumbled, wiping his still wet body with his hands. "Warping and paralyzing me at the bottom of a lake, I could have been killed! If I get my hands on that rascal, I'm going to-"

"Boss! You're finally back from prison!"

Krookodile's train of thought was interrupted as he turned around in surprise to see who it was, it was his partner in crime and long time friend, Krokorok. The intimidation Pokemon smiled at the sight of his old friend and gave him a hug.

"It's been awhile old friend." Krookodile said as he let go of Krokorok, the two of them continued walking down the path they were heading. "How have you been?"

"Life's been rather boring while you were gone," Krokorok said. "been doing some odd jobs here and there to keep the money coming in."

"Honest jobs, seriously? Have you gone soft?" Krookodile asked, surprised at his partner's change of career.

"Can you really blame me? Crime has dramatically dropped ever since exploration teams began capturing outlaws like us, it was best I quit while I still had the chance."

"I see."

The two continued walking in silence, even though the dense forest covered most of the sky above, Krookodile could tell that the sun was already starting to set with the few traces of sunlight seeping through the trees. After walking for a bit more, the two finally reached a small wooden house, the light shade of green the house was painted in camouflaged the house from a distance, only noticeable when approached.

 _Home sweet home._ Krookodile smiled at the thought, it had been more than two years since he last saw the familiar sight of his dirty and unorganized house, it felt good to be back.

"Just as you left it boss." Krokorok commented as they approached the the door to the house. Krookodile opened the door to his house and was greeted with a huge cloud of dust blowing off from the door, causing the two Pokemon to cough.

"It's good to be back." He said.

* * *

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Krookodile and Krokorok. Two figures watched them not far from the house, hiding in bushes.

Ian peeked his head out to confirm his suspicion about having seen the shorter, brown Pokemon with black stripes on his body before. After pondering for a moment, he finally remembered the name.

"Krokorok, was it?" He asked Faith, who was next to him hiding under the bush, peeping through the foliage.

"Lively Town's local hooligan." Faith added in.

"I remember seeing him when me and Patience first arrived in Lively Town. Quite the intimidating fellow until Gadget came in to save us."

"He was probably still scarred from that incident."

Ian recalled Krokorok mentioning an incident when he saw Gadget, something about his jaws still having to recover from it.

"What incident?" Ian asked curiously.

"Almost a year ago, Gadget was taking a stroll down Lively Town when she saw Krokorok bullying some kids. What made Gadget lose it was when Krokorok hit one of the children and they began crying, that's when she went berserk. She dragged Krokorok by the feet to the lighthouse, tied up his jaws with rope and hung him off the side of the lighthouse for everyone to see."

"Damn... isn't that a little too extreme?" Ian said, partially feeling bad for Krokorok.

"Seeing a child cry must have hit a nerve for Gadget, considering what she's been through... What made it even more personal was that the crying child was a Shinx.

Ian eyes widened in surprised at that added detail, it made much more sense now that Gadget would snap seeing one of her own getting hurt and also the constant burden and reminder of her family and friends she couldn't save at Amp Plains. If Krookodile really was the culprit like they had suspected, how was Gadget going to react to that? Was she willing to let go and made sure he got the proper justice he deserved? Or would she take matter into her own hands and getting her revenge for everyone she had lost? The thought of it made the mudfish Pokemon shiver.

"Hold on, where are they going?"

Ian's mind shifted back to reality as he turned to look at the house once more, searching for whatever Faith noticed.

It was Krookodile and Krokorok, the two of them were oddly walking away from the house. Ian was unsure as to where they were going, probably back to Lively Town to get a drink or something.

"Your guess is as good as mine." The mudfish Pokemon replied. As the two partner slowly disappear from sight, an idea popped into Ian's head. "Let's search the house for any information."

"What?!" Faith exclaimed, just barely loud enough for Ian to be startled by it. "What if he comes back and he sees us in his house?! We'll be dead!"

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained." Ian said, as he walk out from the bush they were hiding from. Faith gave out a loud sigh, and eventually gave in, she doubt they were going to get any useful information just by staking out anyway. The two Pokemon approached the front of the house, Ian tried pushing open the front door, but was met with a locked door instead. Ian cursed under his breath.

"Let's climb through a window then." Ian said to Faith as they headed around to the back of the house. Ian noticed that the windows of Krookodile's house were similar to the ones in Nuzleaf's house back in Serene Village, that's when another idea popped up. Ian grabbed hold of the window grille and began pulling at it.

"What are you doing?" Faith asked, confused with what Ian was doing.

"Something... I learned... back in Serene... Village!" As Ian finished his sentence, the grille of the window came clean off, the mudfish Pokemon nearly losing his balance from the force of the pull. Ian turned to face Faith, whose reaction was one of both surprised and impressed with his ingenuity.

"After you." Ian politely said, waving his hand politely to the open window to climb into.

"That's nice of you." Faith said, giving the mudfish Pokemon a slight smile as she climbed through the window and into the house, Ian followed shortly after. The room they entered was filled with dust and cobwebs, Ian felt his nose itch, trying his best to hold a sneeze.

"Good Helix... if this were my house I would be cleaning it to death." Faith mumbled, letting out a slight cough as she wiped her hand across one of the many dusty walls.

"You a neat freak?" Ian asked.

"I clean my room just as often as I clean wounds." Faith commented. Ian was unsure whether that was meant to be a snarky response or an odd comparison.

Ian and Faith continued walking around the room, searching high and low for anything important. The mudfish Pokemon decided to head into the next room, which he assumed was where Krookodile slept, judging by the bale of hay laying in the corner of the room. Ian noticed a bookshelf at the far end of the room and decided to investigate. On the shelf were a number of books of different sizes, all of them with the title of the book written at the side. ' _Fates Intertwined', 'Fantastic Outlaws and Where To Find Them', 'How To Rob Keckleon Without Being Bodied.'_

"Krookodile sure is quite the reader..." Ian mumbled to himself as he stopped looking through the bookshelf. He turned around to leave the room when suddenly...

 _Creak..._

Ian stopped dead in his tracks when he heard the floor creak. Did it made that sound when I came in earlier? Ian didn't recall hearing the floor creak earlier, it was then he also noticed that the floor he was standing on, the one that caused the creaking noise, was of a slightly different colour compared to the rest of the house. There was only one conclusion that he could come to regarding all this.

 _There's something underneath the flooring!_

The mudfish Pokemon squatted down and felt his way across the floorboard until he found a gap in the floorboard. He gripped the gaps as hard as he could and gave it a pull. To his surprise, the floorboard came off easily, revealing the contents inside.

 _Jackpot._

To the mudfish Pokemon's shock, inside the gap in the floor laid a bunch of Emeras, something he has not seen for quite some time now.

 _But how...?! I thought Emeras only appear in dungeons and break when taken out of them?!_ More questions began flooding Ian's mind, how was this possible? Why did Krookodile have so many? And where did he get them from?

"Uh... Faith? I think I found something..."

"What is it?" Faith asked from the other room. She shortly entered the room and noticed the hole in the floor and the contents inside.

"Wait... are those... Emeras?!" She asked, just as shocked as Ian.

"Looks like it." Ian said, holding one up to examine it. The Emera was dark purple, a colour he hasn't seen before in an Emera, he felt a strange sensation when holding it, he felt his hand shaking slightly when holding the Emera, the mudfish Pokemon wasn't sure why.

"How is this possible...? I thought Emeras break when taken outside dungeons?" Faith said.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Ian said, he opened his Expedition Bag and removed the Looplet that has been collecting dust inside the bag since his time in Serene Village. He strapped on the Looplet and was about to attach the mystery Emera when Faith grabbed his hand.

"Just what do you think you're doing Ian?" She asked in a concerned tone.

"Mawile might want to have a look at these Emeras, so I might as well see what it does."

"You sure about this?"

"Nothing ventured..."

"...nothing gained."

Faith let go of Ian's arm as he continued to place the Emera into the Looplet, he place it into the slot, with a satisfying 'click' noise before shining for a brief moment. Suddenly, a rush of adrenaline entered Ian's body, his heart bested faster, his breathing got quicker, he unknowingly closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them back, he noticed that his vision seem slightly different, everything look more... light bluish.

"Whoa Ian! Your eyes... they've turned blue!"

It took a few moments for Ian to register what Faith had just said, when he did, he panicking.

"W-what?! But how?! Why-"

Ian stopped himself from having a panic attack when he noticed orange markings sprawled across the floor, some in different patterns and in different directions of others, it's when then Ian realized what those markings were.

 _Footprints._

Ian looked at his hands and noticed that they were glowing orange, he turned to looked at Faith's and noticed that they were orange too.

"I think I get it now." The mudfish Pokemon said.

"What does it do?" Faith asked.

"This Emera let's me see footprints of everyone around me, something like a way of tracking someone." He explained.

"Well that settles things then. Planning on testing out more of them?"

"We don't have time, just help me grab as many of these Emeras as you can for Mawile to study."

Faith nodded and two got to work immediately, grabbing as much as their hands could carry and dumping them into their Expedition Bags, it would probably prove beneficial to them depending on what these Emeras could do. When Ian and Faith had finished, they had cleared out the entire stash, leaving nothing behind. Ian closed the hole with the floorboard, hoping Krookodile wouldn't be needing them anytime soon.

"You think that's enough? I'm starting to get worried Krookodile might return soon." Faith said.

"It should be enough, come on, let's get out of here before-"

Ian stopped mid sentence when he got up and noticed a lot of books by the bookshelf was glowing orange, but one of them, had more hand prints than the others. He approached and examined it. 'The Order', a strange name, with a menacing looking red cover.

"What? What do you see?" Faith asked.

Ian didn't reply, still focused on the strange book, he pulled it out but realized that it was stuck, as if the book was embedded right into the shelf itself. With no other ideas of what to do, he decided to push the book in, to his shock, the book smoothly pushed in and a loud 'click' was made. A few moments later, a loud, scraping sound was heard from the other room. As if something had just opened.

"I have no idea what I just did." Ian said, completely flabbergasted.

"Might as well investigate it." Faith suggested. The mudfish Pokemon nodded as the two left the bedroom and headed back into the main room. The turned to face the source of the sound and were shocked to see one of the walls that was previously there has now been replaced with a flight of stairs leading down somewhere.

"Open sesame..." Ian joked. "Well I'll be damned, a secret door."

"I'm both excited and scared to know what's down there that's worth keeping away from plain sight." Faith said.

"Only one way to find out."

Ian went into the mysterious new room first, slightly nervous. He was greeted to sight of a dark, eerie stairwell leading underground. The stairs went on as far as Ian could see. The walls were made of cobblestone, Ian felt the cold stone wall as he pressed his hands against it. The mudfish Pokemon turned to face Faith, whom had a face of concern, he gave the doctor a reassuring nod and waved her over to follow. She complied as she went in and the two of them headed deeper into the cave system. Ian and Faith kept walking for what felt like forever when they finally came across a wooden door. There wasn't a keyhole or even a handle on the door, all Ian had to do was to push the door open, a feint creaking noise emitted from the door, it was then that Ian and Faith were greeted to a rather disturbing sight.

Inside was a small stone chamber, lit by multiple candles at the side. The walls of the room covered with papers of all sizes. At the end of the room, was a table, with what looked to be a table lit with even more candles.

"Well ain't this reassuring..." Ian snakily said, in truth it was really to hide the fear that he was experiencing right now.

"This is... not what I had anticipated." Faith said

Ian and Faith cautiously stepped into the room, the air around them suddenly felt dreadful. Ian look around at the papers stuck to the wall, they were filled with strange drawings of a circle with strange lines on it. They were written in red, something about the red color used to draw all these made Ian uneasy, some of them were of different shades of red as well. That was when Ian came up with a morbid conclusion.

"Is that... blood?!" Ian asked Faith. The fresh snow Pokemon widened her eyes in shocked at the mudfish Pokemon's question. She decided to grabbed one of the papers and decided to smell the red ink, she paused for a brief moment, and turned to face Ian.

"You're right, it is blood." Faith whimpered, the horror of the situation slowly began to show itself. Ian spoke out the exact thoughts the two of them had.

"What the hell is going on here...?!"

Faith didn't reply, she was just as in the dark about the whole thing as Ian. She continued looking at the other papers that were on the wall.

* * *

 _DARK MATTER_

 _DARK MATTER_

 _DARK MATTER'_

* * *

 _'DARK MATTER PROTECTS,  
_

 _DARK MATTER SAVES,_

 _DARK MATTER FREES US,_

 _FROM THIS WRETCHED WORLD WE CALL HOME.'_

* * *

"What the heck is a Dark Matter?" Faith wondered aloud.

"Whatever it is, it doesn't sound good..." Ian added.

The two Expedition Society members approached the lone table at the end of the room, yet another piece of paper lie on it, written in a black, oily substance of some sort.

 _'K,_

 _The ES has taken the bait, proceed as usual with the plans, lure Entei to Showdown Mountain and we'll do the rest.'_

"This read out like orders." Ian concluded, judging by the acronyms used in the letter, 'K' is most likely Krookodile and 'ES' is the Expedition Society. Which begs the question, what did the letter mean by 'bait'? The mudfish Pokemon hastily grabbed the letter and shoved it into his bag. "We've been here long enough, it's time we get out of here."

"Agreed." Faith said and the two of them quickly heading back up the stairs and back into the house, Ian went back to the shelf and pulled back the book, the secret door closing shortly. Ian and Faith hastily climbed back out the window they came in and Ian fixed the grille back.

"Whew..." Ian said, wiping his forehead in relief. "Now that wasn't so hard no was-"

"HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?!"

Ian and Faith's heart dropped at the sound of the familiar voice, they turned around and in front of them stood Krookodile, a look of anger in his eyes. He had arrived back just a few moments ago to hear suspicious noises caused by the two behind the house. The words from Ian's mouth came almost instantly.

"RUN!" He shouted as the two Pokemon bolted off in two complete different directions. Ian didn't have time to wonder whether Faith will be alright on her own, survival was his top priority at the moment. The mudfish Pokemon kept running deeper into the forest, with no direction in mind, all he cared about now was that he placed enough distance between him and Krookodile. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed a hollowed out tree stump, the mudfish Pokemon quickly dived behind the tree stump and started waiting. The sun had already set and night had arrived, Ian was confident that the darkness of the forest would hide him. He took the moment to take a few deep breaths, having ran for what felt like forever, Ian decided to remain here for the time being while he gets his bearings again.

 _Faith... wherever you are, I hope you're all right._ Ian hoped that the Expedition Society doctor had got out safely, Ian cursed at himself for separating from Faith. He said so himself earlier.

 _"Your safety is just as important as mine."_ The words of comfort he had given to the Glaceon came haunting back to him, was it all just empty words? Was it all just a lie?

 _No, I can't let Faith down, not now._

Ian got out from his hiding spot and began brainstorming for ideas for how to find Faith. The area of the forest was huge, she could be anywhere right now. His new footprint tracker Emera? No, there are wild Pokemon living this area, Ian scanned his surroundings and noticed so many different footprints of all shapes and sizes, besides, he wasn't exactly paying attention as to how Faith's footprints look like. Maybe he could send a signal? Launch a Hydro Pump into the air and hope that Faith will be able to see it. No, that would be illogical and would potentially attract Krookodile to his position. He opened up his bag to see if there was anything useful he could use, he had thought of trying out the other Emeras and see whether it could help him, but given the fact that he taken almost two dozens worth of Emeras, he didn't have time to try them all one by one. It was then he took out a Rollcall Orb from the bag, he was about to put it back into the bag when he stopped and remembered what the orb does.

 _It teleports lost teammates back to the user, of course!_

Not wasting a second longer, Ian held up the Rollcall Orb as it shines in activation, suddenly something behind crashed into him hard, causing him to fall over, it was Faith, who was still running before being teleported and didn't have enough time to stop herself.

"Ian? But how did you-"

"Rollcall Orb," Ian answered. "for the first time it's finally useful."

"Too true, let's head back to headquarters before-"

Suddenly, a plume of fire flew over their heads, barely missing the two Pokemon and hitting the tree behind them, setting it ablaze. Ian turned to the source of the fire and it was Krookodile, holding some Blast Seeds in hand.

"I knew stocking these would come in handy one day." He said, eating another Blast Seed and firing them, this time landing in front of them, potentially a warning shot. "Trespassing on the property of an outlaw, not sure if you're brave, or very, VERY stupid! Either way, I'll make sure you regret it!"

"Crap! Let's get out of here!" Ian shouted, Faith didn't reply, confused, the mudfish Pokemon turned to face her and found out why. The fresh snow Pokemon has turned pale, the irises of her eyes completely white as she saw the fire that stood in front of her. She crouched down and covered her head in fear, violently shaking.

Faith's PTSD had kicked in again.

 _Oh no no no no! Why now?!_ Ian began to panic, there wasn't enough time to carry Faith out of here again, not with the danger of the forest slowly catching on fire and Krookodile. He's going to have to dig in and find a way to get rid of both of them.

"What's the matter little girl? Scared? YOU SHOULD BE!" Krookodile yelled. The intimidation Pokemon this time launched a Dark Pulse, aimed directly at Faith. The mudfish Pokemon quick reflexes, pulled her out of the way, the attack exploding just a few moments after. Ian pulled Faith and placed her under the hollowed out tree he had hid earlier, she would be temporally safe for the time being.

 _Now to deal with this red giant._

"Alright, how about we settle this Mudkip to freak?" Ian poorly attempted to taunt Krookodile.

"As you wish." Krookodile said, he took out another Blast Seed and ate it, he then launched a fire attack at the mudfish Pokemon. Ian side stepped as it nearly grazes his fins, hitting the tree next to him, and being set ablaze. Ian broke into a dash as he ran around Krookodile, trying to hit his blind spot, the intimidation Pokemon knew what he was planning, and managed to keep track of him, protecting his blind spot. Ian launched an Ice Beam at Krookodile's legs, hoping it would buy him some time to hit him with a Hydro Pump to the back. But Krookodile only flinched for a moment from the ice forming on his legs and easily broke off from it.

"Nice try Mudkip, now it's my turn!"

Krookodile slammed his legs onto ground as a piece of rock came flying out of the ground, the intimidation Pokemon then gave the rock a hard push, hurling it towards Ian, the mudfish Pokemon was too late to notice the rock and was hit right in the face by it, sending him flying straight into a tree.

"Ow... I may be a water type but that hurt like hell..." Ian said to himself as he got up. It seems like he's going to have to think of something other than conventional means to take down Krookodile. He ducked behind a bush and began searching through his bag, the first thing that came into mind was to use the mysterious Emeras.

 _Screw it._ Ian was desperate, if there was going to be any side effects to these Emeras then so be it. He randomly grabbed three of them from the pile, removed the footprint Emera and placed back into his bag. He placed the three random Emeras into the Looplet, three satisfying 'clicks' later and the Emeras briefly shined. Ian felt... something rushed through his body, as if yet another surge of adrenaline kicked into his body. So far he hasn't notice any changes to his vision, so it must have affected something else.

"Ohhh Mudkip? Come out here so I can kick your ass!" Krookodile taunted.

Ian took in a deep breath and exhaled.

 _It's do or die time._

Ian got out from the bush and revealed himself to Krookodile, for some reason he felt incredibly light footed, was this one of the affects of the Emeras? Only one way to find out.

Ian dashed towards Krookodile, but not at the speed he was expecting. He was at least a few meters from him but the moment he blinked he was already right in front of Krookodile. He quickly use a Tackle attack on Krookodile, which to Ian's surprise, send the intimidation Pokemon back a few meters.

 _Was this from the affects from the Emeras? Not only did I gain super speed but super strength as well?_

Krookodile brushed off the pain and charged a Shadow Claw at Ian. The mudfish Pokemon dodged the attack with ease, Krookodile swung again and again failed to hit Ian.

"Stay... still!" Krookodile cursed, swinging one last Shadow Claw, this time hitting Ian, but the mudfish Pokemon was unfazed by the attack, remaining exactly where he was.

 _Not sure if it's invincibility or damage resistance, but I'm not complaining_. Ian said to himself. He fired an Ice Beam one more time, this time the projectile being much larger than it was before, covering Krookodile in ice and freezing him. Ian decided he wasn't going to waste anymore time on him and grabbed a Stayaway Wand from his bag.

"How about you take a seat and chill out!" Ian said as he waved the wand at Krookodile, disappearing from sight. Ian felt proud of himself for coming up with that pun. He shrugged off those thoughts as he remembered that parts of the forest were still on fire from the fight. Ian fired his Hydro Pump across the surrounding area, slowly extinguishing the remaining fires until there was none left.

 _Now to handle Faith._

Ian rushed back to where he had placed Faith earlier to still find the Expedition Society doctor, shaking uncontrollably and covering her head with her hands.

"I couldn't save them... I couldn't save them... I couldn't save them... it was all my fault that they died...!" Faith muttered to herself, clearly in a broken state of emotions. Ian grabbed hold of Faith to stop her from shaking.

"Faith! Faith! Come on, snap out of it!" Ian yelled. The fresh snow Pokemon looked up at him, the irises in her eyes still white, she looked at Ian with a half blank stare, which pained the mudfish Pokemon to see her in such a broken state.

"Ian...?" Faith said so quietly it was almost a whisper.

"Yes, I'm here. Everything's under control, you're going to be fine." The mudfish Pokemon placed his hands on Faith's face, hoping that would comfort her. Slowly but surely, Faith's eyes slowly began colourising again, returning back to the blue sapphire eyes Ian remembered.

I... I did it again did I..?" She asked, a single tear rolling down her eye. "The nightmares... they keep coming ba-"

Faith was interrupted by the sudden embrace of Ian, which took her by surprise.

"It's okay Faith... it's okay." Ian said, rubbing her fur gently. "I'm here for you..."

Faith, after a few moments return to the hug and smiled. For first time in a long time, she felt safe and protected, like a void in her heart being filled after so long. The two remained in each other's embrace for what seemed like forever until Ian decided to let go. The mudfish Pokemon stood up and pulled Faith back onto her feet.

"We should head back now." Ian said, to which Faith simply nodded. The two began walking back, with Faith walking much closer to Ian, back to Lively Town, for their mission was finally over.

* * *

A/N: Well now, I guess I should apologize for this taking such a long time to come out. I really am sorry that this took a month to come out. I had been busy with exams, moving to a new house, and celebrating my birthday as of writing this. I hope to update on a much regular basis, but even I'm not sure myself if I can make that promise.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, make sure to drop a review on what you think of this chapter! Until then, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	60. A New Lead

"Excuse me, sir?"

Fletchinder jolted from his daydreaming, he was sitting at a table, Kangaskhan in front of him holding a tray with a cup place on top.

"Oh, I-I didn't see you there." Fletchinder said, scratching his dry, tired eyes. He could barely keep focused after staying up for almost 30 hours now, wasn't exactly good for his health, but that's the life of a journalist.

"Your Chesto Berry drink." Kangaskhan said as she placed the purple coloured drink onto the table. Fletchinder thanked the Cafe Connection owner and handed her the specified Poké.

"You look tired friend." She said in a concerned tone. "Why not rent a room here so you can get some rest?"

Fletchinder thought about it for a moment, as much as he wanted to safe his money, he could barely keep himself awake if not for not the Chesto Berry juice. The journalist eventually gave in, and handed Kangaskhan some more Poké for a room but the parent Pokemon declined the money.

"No, no. It's fine, looking at your face I can tell you've been through a lot, you can stay here as long as you want."

"Oh... that's very kind of you, thank you." Fletchinder said, surprised of the generous offer.

"Just ask me if you need anything alright?" Kangaskhan said as she left Fletchinder's table to attend to her other customers, Fletchinder let out a loud sigh to himself.

 _Oh, you don't know the half of it..._

Fletchinder grabbed the cup of Chesto Berry juice and began gulping it down, the effects of the berry almost seemed instantaneous as he now felt much more alert. When he finally finished the drink, he placed the cup on the table and began leaning on his chair, deep in thought, closing his eyes as he tried relaxing for the first time in awhile, the investigation into the turning to stone incidents have pretty much consumed most of his time, he had forgotten about his job at The Poké Daily and he hasn't returned home to his family to visit. Was it an obsession? Has his motto of always wanting to seek the truth gotten the better of his social life? Possibly, but the more he dug in on the matter, the more dark secrets he began uncovering about the whole case.

And that was when they came. The three floating Pokemon who communicated with the sounds of beeps. His mind still couldn't get over the events that led him to flee to Lively Town to find Ian and Patience.

"Um, Fletchinder?"

Fletchinder lost his balance of his chair and fell from it with the sudden mention of his name, slamming straight into the ground. His body ached as he got up from the floor to see who had called his name. It was Ian and the Glaceon, Faith, standing across the table.

"Are you alright?" Faith asked worriedly. "I didn't mean to surprise you like that!"

"It's fine..." Fletchinder grunted as he sat back on his chair, he waved for the two to sit down with him, who complied. "Back from your investigating I presume?"

"Yeah... something like that." Ian said as he turned to look at Faith, reminded of the chain of events that happened no more than an hour ago. "So what's this about having evidence?" He asked.

Fletchinder reached for his bag and took out a rather thick folder full of paper and slid it across the table towards Ian, who caught the folder and opened it. The first thing he saw was some sort of letter from an unknown sender addressed to Fletchinder.

 _'Here are all the details I could find regarding your mysterious group:_

 _1\. They're called Dark Childs, first sightings of them appeared around two years ago in the Sand Continent._

 _2\. They seem to worship some unknown entity, rumor has it the entity gives Pokemon the ability to turn anything into stone._

 _3\. Yveltal, the Legendary Pokemon of Death, is rumored to be a member as well._

 _I really don't know where you are going with this Fletchinder, but I advise that you quit while you still can, these guys are no joke.'_

Ian flipped through the rest of the folder, some of the papers had drawings of spherical object, a strange aura irradiating from it. There were almost identical to the ones he saw back at Krookodile's house! Tensing up, he began flipping through the folder even faster, to the point even Faith began to worry.

"What's wrong? You know anything about these drawings?" Fletchinder asked when he noticed the mudfish Pokemon's sudden change in behavior.

"We... we've seen these drawings before, at Krookodile's house..." Ian said.

"What?! THAT Krookodile?!" Fletchinder asked, the shock from the revelation nearly caused him to spill his drink. "Oh no oh no no no no no... this can't be good..."

"Does this mean that... Krookodile's involve with these 'Dark Childs' as well?" Faith asked.

"Everything we saw back at the house points to it, there's no doubt about it." Ian replied.

Fletchinder remained silent as he stared at his empty cup. Ian noticed the silence from him, it seemed unlike of Fletchinder to be this quiet, does he have something else he hasn't told him yet?

"Fletchinder," Ian called out, suddenly remembering the unknown reason as to why he was so paranoid when he first saw him. "what got you so scared when we saw you earlier?"

Fletchinder took a moment to place the cup back onto the table and rubbed his eyes once more, clearly growing even more tired. "T-those Pokemon... they attacked me about two days ago, I was on my way here to deliver the findings I had to the Expedition Society, hoping it would help you guys in your investigation, and that was when they showed up."

"Who's this they you're referring to?" Faith asked.

"I-I don't know who they were, but there were three of them, they float like puppets and communicate to each other with strange lights and beeps with their hands."

Ian's eyes widened with the sudden mention of communicating with beeps and lights. _No... it can't be them...?!_ Ian thought to himself, there was no doubt about it, the only conclusion that he could reach was the Beheeyems. _Why...? Why do they keep crawling back into my life?!_

"W-what else did they do...?" Ian asked, not even noticing that his voice was cracking, possibly from the sudden nervousness he was experiencing, if those Pokemon really were the Beheeyem's that have been hunting him down ever since the day he first came into this world, he was going to be just as paranoid as Fletchinder.

"One of them said something to me, in a voice that still echoes in my head: 'The Voidlands await you.'

Ian and Faith remained silent, unsure on how to respond to that, questions began flooding through their head, what was the Voidlands? Why did they attack Fletchinder?

"How did you escape?" Ian asked.

"Like how any bird does, I flew out of there, they tried hitting me with a strange purple beam, if I had to guess, that's the attack that turns any Pokemon into stone."

Ian closed the folder and placed it in his already rather full bag, he had to remind himself to reorganize his bag of items some other time.

"Thank you for the information, Fletchinder. You've helped us discover a new lead in the investigation." Ian thanked.

"Anything for the sake of helping you guys bring these criminals to justice." Fletchinder said, the two Expedition Society nodded and waved him goodbye as he slumped over in his seat, clearly beat from the whole ordeal. He began to regret agreeing to cover this story for The Poké Daily, he has clearly gotten himself into something far more dangerous than he had expected, all for the sake of getting more sales, to hell with that, he had nearly lost his life, and now he was on the run from a bunch of cultists who gain their powers from something that's not even a Pokémon.

 _Arceus... I think I need something strong for this._ Fletchinder said to himself as he called Kangaskhan over and ordered a large jar of Shuckle Juice as he began drinking the night away, hoping it would ease the torment he was going through, wishing that when he woke up tomorrow morning, all will be fine and he can finally go back to his normal job and life as a journalist, instead of being involved in a conspiracy beyond his imagination.

Unfortunately, some wishes go unanswered, and the Shuckle Juice could only help him forget about it for so long.

* * *

 _'Ian, Faith,_

 _It seems you two have been gone for quite some time now, I hope that it's not because you're in any trouble of sorts._

 _When you're back, get some sleep and report to my office first thing in the morning._

 _Ampharos.'_

"Were we really gone THAT long?" Ian asked, looking at the notice pasted on the Expedition Society door.

"It seems so, everyone's gone to bed already." Faith said as she pushed the entrance the door open. It was then that the two were greeted by the sight of Mawile, who from the looks of it was just about to open the door.

"Ah, welcome back you two." Mawile greeted.

"Hey Mawile," Ian greeted. "Off to night watch?"

"That's correct, it's my turn today to patrol." The Expedition Society second in command said.

"Well, you stay safe out there Mawile." Faith said.

"Have a good night you two." Mawile said as she left the building began walking down to Lively Town's plaza. The two entered and Ian closed back the door and breathed a sigh of relief, being glad to be back home.

"Well, I'm off to hit the hay now." Faith said, as she let out a yawn, one that Ian found cute for some reason. "Goodnight Ian!"

"Goodnight Faith." Ian said as the two went to their separate rooms. The mudfish Pokemon opened the door to his room and was greeted with Patience, already sleeping soundly in her bed.

"You asleep Patience?" He asked.

"Mmmm..." She mumbled, Ian wasn't sure if she was still wide awake or that she was just half conscious. The mudfish Pokemon placed his heavy bag that has been aching his back for so long next to his bed as he crashed right into it, slowly closing his eyes as he felt the warmth of his hay bed, falling asleep shortly after.

* * *

Ian woke up from his sleep, feeling a sense of sudden uneasiness and dread. He didn't even know why he woke up, it felt like as if something had forced him awake. He turned to look at Patience but was shocked to see her missing from her bed.

"What the...?" Ian said, curious as to where the fire fox Pokemon would have gone to. He decided to leave his room, off to find his missing partner.

Opening his room door, he noticed that the corridor looked slightly different to how he remembered. The walls, originally a semi dark purple wallpaper, look more grayer, darker than it was before. Was it always this gray? Ian thought to himself. Or have they recently just changed it and I never noticed it before. Shrugging the thoughts out from his head, he exited his room and walked towards the main area of the building. The Expedition Society building was unnervingly quiet, the sounds of his footsteps and breathing were only things keeping him company. Ian noticed the front door opened, imagining that there probably wasn't anyone in the Expedition Society building, he decided to pull the door open and step outside, it was then he noticed something even stranger. The sky, was completely gray in color, to be more precise, everything was of the same, dull color. The buildings, the floor, even the plants, Ian began feeling scared about the sudden changes to the environment, it all seemed too unreal for the mudfish Pokemon, tons of questions flooded his mind, but he didn't want to waste any time. He continued walking down towards Lively Town's plaza, not a single soul to be seen, not Patience, not any of the Expedition Society members, not even any of the townsfolk.

Ian was all alone.

Suddenly, from the corner of his eyes, he saw... something move to his right, he quickly turned and barely just caught a glimpse of a figure, disappearing from sight behind some buildings. Ian broke into a dash and gave chase, curious as to what the mysterious figure was. He reached the place where he last saw the figure, but it was nowhere to be seen. He turned around and was suddenly greeted with what he assumed was the figure he saw, the figure was bipedal, and completely black, it's body moving irregularly, parts of it move sporadically back and forth, like a very twisted branch in the wind, no normal Pokemon he knew could ever do such a thing, the figure also looked very wavy, making it look like an oily shadow.

"W-who are you...?!" Ian asked, taking a step back from the unknown creature. The figure took a step closer to Ian, as the figure reached out its 'arm' towards Ian, the mudfish Pokemon was frozen in fear as the arm reached out and touched his forehead, suddenly a bright white light flashed before Ian's eyes, blinding him, in the distance, he heard an unknown voice, one that he has never heard before, but for some reason, sounded familiar to him.

 _"Help... me..."_

* * *

Ian opened his eyes once more, as he got up from his bed, panting heavily. He quickly took a look at his environment and saw Patience, snoring away next to him. The mudfish Pokemon relaxed at the sight of her, he was finally back to reality now. The mudfish Pokemon inched closer to Patience and gently stroked the fire fox's warm fur, Patience moved a little and stopped looking slightly more comfortable after being stroked. Ian couldn't help but smile at Patience behavior, it reminded him that he was never alone in this world. Just then he let out a soft dry cough.

 _Thirsty... need water..._ Ian said to himself as he left the room and headed for the Mess Hall to get some water. As he approached the entrance to the Mess Hall, he noticed that the lights were turned on and he noticed a shadow coming from the room. It was most likely Swirlix getting a midnight snack that she wasn't allowed for. He wasn't sure if he would decide to report her to Ampharos, depends on how much she ate, he'll think about it. When he entered the room, what he expected to be Swirlix turned out to be Faith, also getting a cup of water to drink and was sitting at the table. The Expedition Society's doctor eyes widened at the sudden appearance of Ian.

"Oh Ian? You're not asleep?" She asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Ian said as he went to the other end of the Mess Hall, grabbing a cup and scooping a cup of water from the built in miniature well that the Expedition Society had and sat next to Faith. "Busy with work?"

"No, just having trouble sleeping, that's all. What about you?"

"Same."

"I see."

The two Pokemon sat in silence for awhile, occasionally sipping from their cups while looking awkwardly looking at each other. Ian tried keeping a calm indifferent face, while Faith merely gave an awkward smile in return. After awhile, Faith finally decided to speak out.

"I'm... thankful for what you did for me back there." She said as she twirled her dangles nervously.

"Your safety is just as important as mine after all." Ian said, finishing what little remainder of water in his cup.

"I know but... it's just that I haven't felt this way in such a long time... having someone come to my aid, for so long I had been alone, no one to really open up my feelings to."

Ian was left speechless, he wasn't exactly sure how would he could respond to such a sudden thing. _Had I really been such a big influence on Faith?_ Ian wondered. But seeing it from her perspective, it began making sense to him, having lost almost all of whom she called family, she would start to feel lonely, no one to share her thoughts with. But then came him, saving her multiple times and listened to her problems, it was all starting to make sense now. The mudfish Pokemon gently held on to Faith's hand, which caught the fresh snow Pokemon by surprise.

"I won't leave you." Ian said. "Not when you need my help."

Faith, touched by the mudfish Pokemon's words, put up a weak smile and held to his hand as well, as the two stared into each other's eyes for what felt like a long time.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the two, Mawile had been just around the corner of the Mess Hall entrance the entire time, eavesdropping on the two. She had returned from her night watch ready to turn in for the night when she noticed the lights to the Mess Hall were on. Thinking it was Swirlix once again eating on the food supplies, she was ready to catch the stewardess red handed, but that was when she heard the voices of Ian and Glaceon. Not wanting to barge in and interrupt them but also curious as to what they were doing, she decided to hang around and listen in on their conversation, needless to say she's pretty surprised with the results.

Ian and Glaceon... are they...? Her mind wondered but stopped when she was about to say what she think she was about to say. It seemed rude to think of such a thing when there isn't any proof to back it up. But like any girl, Mawile couldn't help but get excited at the thought of love, especially from her colleagues, it reminded her of when she used to be together with Ampharos all those years ago...

 _Oh the memories of a time long gone._ Mawile thought as she slowly left the corner and back to her room, wanting to leave the two to themselves, she was too tired to continue anyway.

"Good night, you lovebirds." She sheepishly said to herself as she entered her room and turned in for the night, ready for a new day.


	61. Calm Before The Storm

Ampharos kept a calm and professional presence as he and Mawile listened to Ian and Faith's recounting of yesterday's stakeout turned breaking and entering. Although he heavily objected the two's actions of breaking into someone's house, but he couldn't deny the insurmountable amount of evidence found in Krookodile, needless to say he was willing to let this one go. Added to that the folder received from Fletchinder, that journalist he had met in Pokemon Square a few weeks ago.

 _Fate sure is a strange entity huh?_ Ampharos said to himself.

"So in summary," Ian said. "Krookodile is going to lure Entei to Showdown Mountain, if I had to guess he's going to ambush Entei and turn him into stone!"

"I think we should alert Entei of this, so that he wouldn't fall victim to this trap." Glaceon suggested.

Ampharos nodded his head in agreement. "You're right, I'll send a warning letter to Entei as soon as possible."

"And what about these Emeras?" Ian asked, pointing at the few rows of Emeras that were laid out tidily on Ampharos's table.

"I'll handle it," Mawile said as she began scooping up the Emeras off the table. "I'll have a report as soon as the analysis is complete."

"Very well then Mawile." Ampharos said as his second-in-command took the final Emera off the table and slowly made her way out of the office to her own to examine the Emeras. The Expedition Society chief was still baffled as to how such a feat of being able to bring Emeras out of mystery dungeons were possible. He hoped that this were the only ones in existence right now. "Is that all you have to report?"

"Yes, Chief." Ian and Glaceon both said.

"Then you're dismissed, proceed with your duties as usual."

The two nodded and made their way out of the room, closing the office door as they left. Ampharos, taking a moment to readjust himself, hastily opened the drawer he kept his paper and ink for letters and got to work with a warning letter, he needed to send it as soon as he could, before Entei heads for Showdown Mountain.

 _Though I have a feeling... we may already be too late._

As Ian and Faith went their separate ways, waving each other off as the doctor returned to the Infirmary, the mudfish Pokemon saw Patience at the other end of the room, talking with Buizel, whose wounds had already been healed. As Ian got closer, he started picking parts of the conversation between the two.

"...sure you're going to be alright?" Patience asked.

"I told you, I'm fine. Why the sudden concern for me?" Buizel asked.

"Because... my mind can't stop thinking of when you saved me from the Solarbeam, it's like I feel something strange inside of me when I saw you risk your own life to save me."

 _I think that's what you call having a crush, Patience._ Ian said to himself as he hanged around just far enough from the two that he could listen in. _Was she having the same problem of falling for someone as me?_ Ian noticed Buizel's slowly turning red, possibly from the flattering.

"That's... nice to hear I guess." Buizel said, nervously scratching his head. "Listen, I got to run, got a job that requires my attention. Maybe... we could meet up in the evening at the Café Connection? To talk about this more?"

"Sounds like a plan."

"Alright then, see you later!" Buizel waved goodbye as he left the building. Patience turned around and was caught off guard when she saw Ian standing quite at the other end of the main hall, she approached the mudfish Pokemon hastily.

"You... didn't hear anything about us, right?" Patience asked, her voice stuttering, indicating that she was nervous.

"No, I just got here." Ian lied. "What were you two talking about?"

"Oh... nothing, just some things, that's all."

 _Oh Patience, your attempts at lying are rather amusing._ Ian thought as he mentally smirked. "So I guess it's business as usual for us then?"

"Mhmm." Patience mumbled as she nodded her head.

"Well then, let's not waste any time then, let's go."

Ian and Patience headed off and left the Expedition Society Headquarters, as they made their way down towards Lively Town, the two of them stopped dead in their tracks when they stumbled upon a familiar face, one that the two have not seen for quite long time.

"Nuzleaf?!" The two exclaimed in unison.

"Ian! Patience! How've you be-" The wily Pokemon was interrupted when Ian rushed into him and hugged him tightly, clearly missing his father figure.

"It's been so long Nuzleaf!" Ian said as he continued hugging him, whom only gave an awkward smile, and eventually patted the mudfish Pokemon's head.

"Patience, I see that you're fine as well." Nuzleaf said as Ian released his grasp of him.

"Thank you Mr Nuzleaf, how is my Pops doing?"

"Carracosta's doing fine, though he says that he's always thinking of you."

Patience eyes widened in surprise as she began to frown at the mention of that. The fire fox Pokemon had always thought of her Pops ever since she and Ian left Serene Village, not a single day passed without her thinking of her foster father.

"I see that you finally joined the Expedition Society! Good job you two!" Nuzleaf praised.

"Just you wait Mr Nuzleaf, give us a few more months and we'll be the best Expedition Society members there is!" Patience boasted as she thumped out her chest and smirked. Ian simply sighed at the fire fox's naive arrogance.

"So what brings you here Nuzleaf? I don't suppose you came here just to visit?" He asked.

"I have some business here in Lively Town, so I thought I gave you guys a visit!" Nuzleaf explained. "And where were you two going before I arrived?"

"Our usual daily duties of course!" Patience excitingly replied.

"And that is?"

"Dungeon exploration, rescuing Pokemon, retrieving items, all that and more." Ian replied flatly.

"Ah, in that case you two should go on then, wouldn't want to get in the way of your work."

"Alright then! Bye Mr Nuzleaf!" Patience said.

"Goodbye Nuzleaf! Say hi to Serene Village for us!" Ian said as the two walked past the wily Pokemon and made their way to the town entrance, slowly disappearing from sight among the sea of crowded Pokemon in the plaza.

* * *

Nuzleaf sighed as he watched Ian slowly disappear from view, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

 _Ian's a good kid, ain't he?_ Nuzleaf said to himself, the way the mudfish Pokemon reacted when he finally saw him again after so long, it reminded him of his younger days as a child, how he'd also run up to his parents whenever he returned home. Nuzleaf wanted someone like that in his life, a son.

 _A son that I will never have..._

Nuzleaf pushed those thoughts out from his mind as he walked back to the plaza, remembering the reason he was here.

For he had a job that requires his attention immediately.


	62. Founders Day

_One week later, somewhere over the ocean south of Lively Town._

Pelipper flew gracefully with the wind as he adjusted his course, making sure he was headed to his intended destination. Inside his usual letter bag only contained a single letter, one that was of great importance.

Just this morning, he had been informed by the post office that he had been asked to to deliver a letter from the Expedition Society chief and send it to an island, south west of the continent. "It was a letter of the upmost urgency." Pelipper recalled the words of his boss, when he handed him the letter. Pelipper didn't bother to ask any questions, why should he? Many Pokemon have told him their letters were just as important before, it made no difference to how he performed his job.

As he flew over a small island, it was then that Pelipper began to notice the lack of other flying Pokemon around, he also suddenly felt a sense of dread, as if someone has just threw a rock onto the water bird Pokemon's face. Pelipper was too late to react when he finally noticed the large, purple beam heading straight towards him, before his vision went dark.

Meanwhile, down below on the small island, a lone figure stood watching the skies above to see what was once a living, breathing Pokemon fall down to the ocean below, turned to stone. The figure broke into a dash and hopped onto the back of Sharpedo, his colleague. He grabbed hold of the shark Pokemon's upper fin as Sharpedo sped up and headed towards the direction of Pelipper's crash site.

When the two reached the site, they arrived just in time to see the stone figure of the water bird Pokemon rapidly sinking to the ocean floor, possibly never to be seen again. The figure wondered if that would be a fate worse than death, trapped in your own body, at the bottom of the sea, he couldn't imagine the thought of that. The figure noticed Pelipper's delivery bag floating aimlessly nearby, he instructed Sharpedo to approach it as he scooped up the soaking bag. He opened the bag and saw the warning letter stored within in, he tore the letter apart and dumped it into the ocean, as he grabbed another letter he had on hand and placed it into the bag.

"Everything is in place." The figure said. "Now to pay Entei a little visit."

* * *

Entei walked out of the small cave he called home and inhaled a breath of fresh air as he greeted another morning.

 _Well... technically it was more volcanic ash than fresh air, but it's the thought that counts._ Entei said to himself as he went back inside. He grabbed a relatively cold cup tea from his table as the intense heat of his body warmed the cup of tea almost instantly, satisfied with the result, he sat down on his chair and continued reading his book, "How To Look Less Intimidating Around A Mate". He read for a few minutes, when suddenly he heard a knock on his cave door.

"Come in." He said, not even looking up from his book. A figure walked into the room as his eyes met his. It was Houndoom, with a piece of paper in hand.

"A letter, addressed to you." Houndoom said, as he handed the paper to the volcano Pokemon. Entei sighed, annoyed that he couldn't enjoy his morning in peace, he lazily took the letter from the dark Pokemon, and unfolded the piece of paper, his eyes widened as he began reading the words on the letter.

 _'Dear Entei,_

 _It seems that you are a becoming a nuisance to my plans. Your investigation into finding me is starting to get too close for my comfort._

 _So that is why I would like to make a simple request: A challenge._

 _We both want each other out of the picture, so why not keep it clean and simple? You defeat me, and I'll willingly accept my arrest. But if I defeat you, I'll turn you into stone and you'll be enjoying the rest of your life in the Voidlands._

 _Showdown Mountain, tomorrow._

 _Don't keep me waiting.'_

"Houndoom..." Entei said, as he lifted his head from the paper. "Who delivered this letter to us?"

"It wasn't Pelipper, Master." Houndoom replied. "It was a strange Pokemon with a leaf on his head."

Entei got up from his chair, chugging the reminder of his tea as he hastily made his way out of his cave.

"W-where are you going Master?" Houndoom asked.

"I'm going to Showdown Mountain, if you don't hear from me in two days, warn Raikou and Suicune, and make sure no one and I mean NO ONE touches the artifact. Do you understand?"

"Master, why are you-"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Entei snapped as Houndoom tensed up from the sudden shout.

"Y-yes Master..." Houndoom said, bowing his head down in acknowledgement. "B-but why are you going there...?"

Entei stopped and turned to the dark Pokemon, his eyes so fierce that it felt like it was cutting deep into Houndoom's soul.

"Settling this case once and for all."

* * *

"Thanks for saving Dunsparce! I'm glad we rescued him before he got into any serious danger." The small, white and yellow Pokemon known as Emolga said.

"I'm sorry Emolga... I'm always making life difficult for everyone." Dunsparce said, the slug-like Pokemon with what looked like tiny wings on its back said.

"Hey, hey, don't be like that Dunsparce, it's my fault for taking my eyes off you while we were in this cave." The sky squirrel Pokemon said, as he patted his friend on the head to comfort him.

"All in a days work." Ian said.

"Make sure you get back home safely!" Patience said.

"We will Miss! Thank you again!" Emolga said as he took out an Escape Orb and used it, disappearing from sight in an instant. The mudfish Pokemon collapsed in exhaustion onto the ground. Patience followed shortly after as she laid near Ian.

"Remind me never to skip on work again..." Ian muttered.

"Noted..." Patience replied. The two partners have been working tirelessly over the past week, catching up on their Expedition Society duties that they have been lagging behind due to unforeseen circumstances with the turning to stone mystery and all. Each day, the two would pick jobs that were either in the same dungeon or relatively close to each other and do them all consecutively before the end of the day. On average they would do at least five jobs a day, totaling up the number of jobs completed being thirty five jobs. Ian and Patience had both regretted their method of catching up on work, for they felt like they were about to faint from fatigue.

"Please tell me you brought an Escape Orb with you..." Ian asked his partner, as he slowly got back up to his feet.

Patience stood up and reached into her Expedition Bag, eventually removing a blue spherical object from her bag. The fire fox Pokemon breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's head home." Ian said, to which Patience nodded in agreement as she raised the orb to activate it, in a blink of an eye the two teleported out from the dungeon and back to the entrance of Lively Town, the evening sun blinding Ian for just a moment, his eyes adjusting to the sudden change in lighting.

"Home sweet home!" Patience exclaimed as she spread her hands out, inhaling deeply and exhaling loudly.

"Let's go Pae." Ian said, the mudfish Pokemon was about to leave when Patience grabbed him.

"Pae? Seriously?" Patience said, cocking her head in confusion.

"Patience is getting really boring for me to say," Ian said, as he continued walking. "Pae's shorter and easier to say."

"W-well then, I'll just have to think nickname for you then!" Patience said as she pondered on a nickname for the mudfish Pokemon, after a few minutes of thinking hard, realizing that she couldn't exactly make an even shorter name from Ian, she eventually gave up, cursing beneath her breath, to which Ian chuckled.

"Better luck next time Pae." He said as he playfully nudged the fire fox Pokemon, to which Patience responded by sticking out her tongue.

The two eventually arrived at the Expedition Society Headquarters, as they entered, the two were greeted with a banner, hung across the main hall of the building.

" _25th Expedition Society Founder's Day!"_

"Founder's Day? I wonder what that could be?" Patience wondered aloud.

"Whatever it is, I don't think it's something being found that's for sure." Ian sarcastically said, to which the fire fox Pokemon simply rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Hey guys, you're just in time!"

The two turned towards the Mess Hall and saw Buizel, waving at them as he emerged from the room.

"Buizel, what's all this about?" Ian asked.

"It's the 25th Expedition Society Founder's Day." Buizel replied, pointing at the hung banner. "Didn't you see the banner?"

"Yeah, but I want to know WHAT is it."

"I've never heard of this until now." Patience added.

"Oh... really?" Buizel voice softened, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Well you see, Founder's Day is the day when the Expedition Society was founded by none other than our Chief Ampharos, today's the 25th anniversary of said day!"

"Twenty... five... years?!" Ian and Patience both exclaimed in unison, surprised of how long the Expedition Society has been operating.

"Damn, Ampharos sure is an old geezer ain't he?" Ian remarked, to which Patience elbowed him in the sides.

"So... what exactly do you guys do?" Patience asked.

"We hold a party, and we party hard." Buizel explained. "For the past five years, all the parties have not disappointed me."

Just then, a loud 'THUD' noise came from the Mess Hall, a few seconds later, Gadget, a bottle in hand, came stumbling out from the room. Her face was red and tired.

"私は地獄のように酔っていて、私は何を言ってるのか分からない!" Was what Gadget slurred before slamming face first onto the ground, suddenly falling asleep.

Ian and Patience were left speechless by what had just occurred, Buizel simply let out a loud laugh, echoing through the main hall.

"That's Gadget for ya." He said, as he approached the sleeping Luxray and examined her. "She speaks gibberish every time she goes a little overboard with the Shuckle Juice."

Patience turned to Ian, expecting to see him be just as shocked as she was, but the mudfish Pokemon was grinning widely, almost from fin to fin.

"This is going to be one hell of a good time!" He said.

"A-are you sure...?" Patience asked worriedly. "Gadget doesn't look okay."

"ああ、私は絶対に大丈夫です、私は少しめまいです。" Gadget mumbled, before she continued snoring.

"Yeah, I think she's fine."


	63. The Party

Ian felt his whole world spin and his head throbbing in pain as he laid flat on the ground, moaning in pain.

"Ohhh, t-that's got to hurrrt!" He heard Bunnelby's mumbled voice.

"T-told you that wasn't a good idea...!" Patience drunkly nagged at the mudfish Pokemon for trying to walk on the Crew Room long table while consuming an entire jar of Shuckle Juice. On the bright side though, he did managed to consume the entire jar.

Ian slowly got up, his feet felt weightless as it wobbled uncontrollably. He eventually managed to stabilize himself and rejoined with the others.

"S-so... who's next?" Ian asked, the mudfish Pokemon had been told by Ampharos, that it was a traditional every Founder's Day for them to hold a game of "Truth or Dare". Buizel and Archen had went earlier, both daring each other to come up with the best insults, which eventually led to Bunnelby winning. Gadget went next, daring herself to eat four Tomato Berries at once courtesy of Swirlix, she failed after consuming the third one, running off to the Mess Hall to get a bucket of water to cool down her burning, she hasn't been back since. Then came him, which failed as well which led him to suffer a minor concussion.

"I'll go next." Dedenne said, who seemed the most sober among everyone else despite her size. "I'll go Truth."

The group wooed in intriguement, the first one to go for the truth route, Buizel raised his hand and volunteered to ask the question.

"Among all the guys here, who do you think is the most good looking?" Buizel asked.

Everyone turned their heads to the sea weasel Pokemon, all of them expressing mixed emotions, mostly raised eyebrows and looks of confusion.

"Honestly, ya'll look ugly as hell." Dedenne sarcastically said, letting out a dry laugh. "But if I had to pick one, I would go with Bunnelby."

"W-whaa? Whyyy?" Bunnelby asked.

"You have such cute eyes and ears! Every time I see you smile my tiny heart melts..." Dedenne exclaimed, shyly covering her face.

Bunnelby's face turned dark red as he covered his face with his ears and turned away from the antenna Pokemon.

"Oooh, someone's embarrassed!" Mawile exclaimed, giggling uncontrollably.

"It's... it's just the Shuckle Juice." Bunnelby lied.

"Right..." Ampharos said. "Welp, I'll go next! Dare is how I do things and by Arceus I'm going to do it stylishly!"

"Weeeellll, eeeff thatsss the c-c-case, theeen I got sumthin." Faith slurred, clearly intoxicated.

"And what would that be Doc?"

Faith picked up the last remaining Tomato Berry that Gadget failed to eat and handed it to the lighthouse Pokemon.

"G-g-give that angsty littttle shiiit someeee spice in her life!"

A surge of "Ooooooh" echoed throughout the Crew Room, with everyone eying on the Expedition Society doctor in surprise with her rather extreme dare. All eyes then turned to the Expedition Society chief, wondering if he was willing to take it. After a few seconds, the lighthouse Pokemon nodded.

"Let's get this done then." He said.

* * *

Gadget laid motionless on the floor of the Mess Hall, her head throbbing and mouth still burning from the Tomato Berries

 _"What the hell were you thinking Gadget? Eating all those Tomato Berries."_

"It sounded like a doable thing at the time!" Gadget mentally spoke with the voice in her head. Part of her seemed worried that she was talking to a figment of her imagination, but anything was better than suffering on the cold hard floor all by herself.

 _"Well bad news lady, it clearly didn't work and now all the other Expedition Society members are probably laughing at you right now."_

"Shut the hell up, where did you come from anyway?" Gadget asked.

 _"Your head, idiot."_

"How?"

 _"Pfft, I don't know, probably when you get drunk or something."_

After a few minutes of awkward silence with her inner self, the gleam eyes Pokemon eventually got up from the floor and reached for the cup she had used to drink water with, only to find it empty, she silently cursed and was about to refill it from the well when a bright yellow hand appeared in front of him with a cup in hand.

"Here." The familiar voice said to her, even when drunk he could tell was Ampharos. She turned to face the lighthouse Pokemon whom looked a little red in the face from all the Shuckle Juice but still managed to put up a caring smile to her.

Little did she know however, that the cup in Ampharos's hand was not water, but instead, Tomato Berry juice, siphoned out from the Berry she had failed to eat with the help of one of Faith's syringes from the Infirmary. The rest of the Expedition Society members were just around the corner outside the Mess Hall, waiting patiently to hear Gadget's priceless reaction.

"T-thanks." She said, as she grabbed the cup and quickly gulped it down, failing to notice the unusual red liquid that she was consuming until it was too late, her face had turned completely red as the spiciness began kicking in and began boiling her body. She let out a loud yelp as she ran across the room, panting from the spiciness of the Tomato Berry. She quickly ran back to the well and dunk her entire head in it, hoping to cool it down.

The room suddenly erupted with laughter as the other Expedition Society member rushed in to witness the hilarious sight.

"Absolutely amazing!" Ian said, catching his breath from all the laughing.

"Did that just serioussssly happennnn?" Jirachi slurred. "The scaryyyy and intimidating Gadget getting prannnked?!"

"I wish I could have gotten a photo of that!" Swirlix exclaimed.

Gadget eventually lifted her head out from the well, her head completely soaked and her fur all messed up.

"Nothing personal Gadget," Ampharos said, helping the gleam eyes Pokemon up. "it's all in good fun!"

" _Good job Gadget, good bloody job."_

"Shut. Up."

* * *

"And that's how I stopped an entire outlaw gang all because I got drunk!" Buizel said, finishing his cup of Shuckle Juice.

"You do realize I helped too right?" Bunnelby added.

"Oh, right, that too."

"All right everyone! Gather around now!" Ampharos called out.

The Expedition Society members all gathered around the long table, including Gadget, whose fur was still soaking wet.

"It's time for us to partake in a toast! Ian, why don't you propose it for us?"

"H-huh? Why me?" The mudfish Pokemon asked, confused about the whole ordeal.

"We always ask the most recent addition of the Expedition Society for a good year ahead of us and hope to celebrate Founder's Day once more next year." Ampharos explained.

"Can't you just ask Patience?"

"I'm a little... too w-w-woozy for that right now." Patience mumbled, her eyes looking tired.

"Fine then, I'll do it." Ian said, he let out a soft cough as he brain began racking for a good toasting speech, all eyes laid on him as the pressure began building up within him. After what seemed like forever, he finally figured out a speech.

 _Here goes nothing..._

"It seemed like it was only yesterday when me and Patience joined the Expedition Society almost two months ago. I was worried back then, that after leaving Serene Village and traveling across the continent to Lively Town, we would have been rejected because of our age. But that never happen, instead, we were accepted with open arms. I've had so much fun learning, laughing and getting to know and bond with each and everyone of you..." Ian's head turned to face Faith, who gently smiled and gave him a nod. "...I may not know if I had any friends or family back in the human world, but here? I have all of you, my colleagues, my friends, my family. Here's to another twenty five more years of adventures, experiences and Shuckle Juice!"

The Expedition Society members all roared in approval of the speech and drank finish their cups of Shuckle Juice. Ian felt pleased with how the speech went. Although the inclusion of him calling everyone 'family' felt cliché, but it was the truth, the Expedition Society felt more than just an organization, it was his home, the members were his family members, that was the bond he felt with everyone standing right in front of him now, laughing and cheering together.

A bond, he hoped, would last forever.


	64. The Morning After

Ian groggily woke up to the sounds of bird noises, he couldn't tell which Pokemon it was though. Pidgey? Starly? He couldn't tell. The mudfish Pokemon slowly got up to his feet, his eyes taking a few more second to readjust itself, revealing the place he woke up in. He was greeted to the sight of wooden boxes stacked everywhere, all of them reaching towards the low hanging ceiling, Ian looked down to discover himself on a hay bed cramped in tightly among the stacks of boxes, in front of him laid an empty bottle, presumably full of Shuckle Juice once.

 _My goodness... WHAT happened last night?!_

The mudfish Pokemon couldn't recall much of what happened, his head throbbing in pain, indicating he was suffering from a hangover. The last thing he remembered was proposing a toast to all the Expedition Society members as everyone laughed and drank the night away, everything after that was a blank to him. It was then he noticed there was writing on the boxes.

' _PROPERTY OF THE EXPEDITION SOCIETY, DO NOT TOUCH. THAT MEANS YOU, YES, YOU, THE ONE READING THIS RIGHT NOW._

 _IF YOU STILL DECIDE TO TOUCH IT, THEN SHAME ON YOU.'_

Ian chuckled at the message, he could tell that it was clearly written by Ampharos, which relived the mudfish Pokemon, the boxes meant that he hasn't woken up on some snowy mountain halfway across the world, he was still in the Expedition Society.

 _But where? This doesn't look like any place of the Expedition Society I've been to._

Ian eventually decide to get out from his bed, taking the empty bottle along with him as he crawled through a small gap in between the boxes, which he assumed was the way he came in. When he got out from his enclosed space, he was greeted with a relatively large room, filled with more boxes stacked to the ceiling, placed far enough between each other that anyone could walk in between them. To his left, he could see sunlight illuminating from gaps in the wall. Ian climbed onto a few boxes to peek outside through the gap, he made a few interesting observations, one was that the gap led to a flat ground outside the Expedition Society, indicating that he was below ground, another thing was that he was able to see the entrance of Lively Town in the distance, nothing more than a small arch structure in the distance.

It was then that Ian finally figured out where he was.

"The Storage Room." He said to himself, feeling satisfied that he was still able to deduce things despite still being hung over. Now the only question that remained was how did he ended up here. Regardless, he continued onwards, trying to find the exit through this labyrinth of boxes. Ian found out many interesting things about the other Expedition Society members thanks to the rather interesting writings on the boxes of what he presumed were personal belongings.

'Archen's family photos'

' _Buizel's junk, DO NOT TOUCH'_

 _'Mawile's Team Frontier possessions'_

 _'Ampharos's 'research' books'_

Ian walked past the boxes as he noticed a stairwell located at the end of the room, feeling relived that he could finally leave this claustrophobic basement. The mudfish Pokemon climbed up the stairs and opened the door that stood above, he opened the door and immediately stepped out, not noticing that the floor felt slippery and cold for some strange reason, causing him to lose his balance and fall face first.

"What the hell?!" He exclaimed to himself in shock as he realized what he was standing on.

Ice.

 _Did we just turn the Expedition Society into a skating ring?!_ He said to himself as got back up on his feet, leaning on the wall to prevent falling again.

"So that's where you've been."

Ian looked up to see Patience, a rather unamused and uncharacteristically a slight hint of seriousness.

"Oh, good morning Pae." The mudfish Pokemon greeted. "Why the long face?"

The fire fox Pokemon stepped aside so that Ian could see the rest of the corridor ahead of him. "THIS is why!"

Ian's eyes widened with the unfamiliar sight of light blue that covered the entire floor, all the way till the other end of the floor, which was the Mess Hall entrance.

 _So it IS a skating ring!_

"Woah, who went crazy with an Ice Beam here, Glaceon?" Ian snarked.

"You did." Patience flatly responded, to which the mudfish Pokemon's eyes widened in surprise. "You had the crazy idea of wanting to turn the first floor into a 'skating ring', whatever that is."

After a bit of thinking, the memories began coming back to him, he recalled drunkly announcing to the other members of the Expedition Society that he was going to make a ice skating ring outside the hallway so he could 'skate like a beautiful Swanna'. And since nobody knew what it was, they all allowed him to do it, which led to one event after another, which eventually left him asleep in the Expedition Society Storage room.

 _And I thought losing my memories of my human life was bad, I can't even remember what happened last night!_

 _"_ And now Mawile is having me melt the ice because apparently I'm the only one here who has a fire move! I don't know what you bloody drank because the ice you made is IMPOSSIBLE to melt!"

"I'm sorry Pae." Ian apologized, feeling slightly bad for making the fire fox Pokemon clean up the mess he made. "I'll help you out, and maybe get you a twig to chew on as an apology?"

Patience face softened up, as she slightly smiled. "I'll consider it." She said teasingly.

"Thereeeee youuuu areee!"

The two partners conversation was cut short when Faith came sliding towards them, unlike everyone else who were probably slipping and falling, Faith was able to move gracefully across the ice.

 _Like a beautiful Swanna..._ Ian said to himself.

"Good morning." Ian greeted, he noticed something sticking out from Faith's hand, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a syringe. "What's that you got there in your hand?" He asked.

"Antitoxins!" Faith replied cheerfully. "These will help you with your hangover in no time!"

"You seem awfully cheerful." Patience commented.

"Hehe! I've never had so much fun in my entire life! Who knew sliding around ice was such a fun activity?"

Ian smiled at the fresh snow Pokemon's enthusiasm, he had always loved the way she smiled, how much innocence and cheerfulness was in that single expression, it made the mudfish Pokemon feel fuzzy on the inside, like she had melted her heart.

 _An ice type melting my heart? Ain't that ironic..._

"Now please hold still Ian." Faith said, changing her tone to a much more professional one. "Don't worry, this would only hurt for a second."

Ian reluctantly nodded and extended his arm for the Expedition Society doctor as she grabbed hold of it and slowly inserted the syringe, the mudfish Pokemon felt a sudden sharp pain, resisting the urge to yelp.

"There, all done." She said as she removed the syringe. "The medicine will kick in after about ten minutes, don't eat anything sweet in that time alright?"

"Right, thanks Faith!"

"Faith? Who the heck is Faith?" Patience asked, cocking her head.

"Oh, I forgot that you didn't know, Faith's actually Glaceon's real name." Ian explained.

"Oh, cool."

"Wait, is that all you have to say about this?"

"Yeah, it's just a name, what were you expecting me to say?

"I- never mind..."

Patience gave a confused look to her partner.

"Faith, I think Ian needs more antioxidants." She said.

* * *

Gadget couldn't contained the smirk she had on her face as she finished pouring the last cup of water of the slippery icy stairs.

 _Sweet naughty revenge._

After the utter embarrassment she had suffered from the hands of Ampharos, she began plotting to get back at her mentor with an even bigger prank, one that she will make sure he will never forget. It was honestly made easier thanks to Ian deciding to freeze up the entire place, all she had to do was make the slippery ice even slipperier. About half dozen cups of water to cover the entire stairs, she was going to call out to Ampharos something that would have him rushing downstairs as fast as possible and slipping, wanting his face to have a one on one meeting with the wooden door that was the main entrance.

 _An eye for an eye after all..._ She said to herself.

"Good morning Gadget, what exactly are you doing?"

The gleam eyes Pokemon turned to find Ian and his partner Patience, a confused look on their faces as to what she was doing.

"Oh, good morning." She greeted. "I'm getting back at Ampharos for what he did to me yesterday."

"Uhhhh, wouldn't Ampharos get angry over this?" Patience asked.

"Relax, I've known Ampharos long enough to know that he hardly ever gets angry."

"Then what does make him angry?" Ian asked.

Gadget remained silent for a moment, Ian could have sworn he saw her body winced slightly.

"When you hurt his family, friends, and colleagues." She finally replied. "But anyway, enough of that, it's time to set my plans in motion."

Gadget motioned for Ian and Patience to step away from the stairs, which they reluctantly do so, she followed shortly after. She cleared her throat and cupped her hands over her mouth.

"AMPHAROS!" She yelled. "WE GOT CHOCOLATE DOUGHNUTS IN THE MESS HALL!"

"HEY-HO AND AWAY I GO!"

The events that transpired happened in almost a blink of an eye, the three heard loud footsteps and a door opening, Ampharos cursing loudly followed shortly by a tall yellow figure zooming past them and slamming head first into the door, somehow managing not to put a hole in it. Gadget burst out laughing uncontrollably, which shocked Ian, the always gruff and tough as steel Gadget who never smiled is now on the floor in tears of joy. The mudfish Pokemon couldn't help but smile, he felt that she was beginning to open up her true feelings.

"Holy mother of Dome!" Patience exclaimed. "Are you alright Chief?!"

Ampharos stayed motionless for a few seconds before letting out a cough as he slowly got back up to his feet, clutching his head in pain. Gadget too finally stopped laughing and got back up on her feet.

"Nothing personal Ampharos," She said, smirking. "it's all in good fun."

The lighthouse Pokemon stared at her before finally letting out a sigh.

"I guess I should have saw it coming." He said.

* * *

It took the Expedition Society the entire morning to clean up the mess they had made the previous night, by the time the last patch of ice was melted, it was well past noon. After everyone had eaten lunch, Ampharos had made an announcement to gather at the Pokemon Nexus because Mawile had finally finished studying the mysterious Emeras Ian had found in Krookodile's house. As the members began gathering at the Nexus, forming a circle to surround the holographic globe, Ampharos and Mawile arrived last as the two had been discussing presumedly about the results of the Emeras in his office.

"Everyone," Ampharos said, the mumblings and whispers of the other Expedition Society members quickly quiet down to hear what the chief has to say. "I hope the medicine has taken its effect and you're no longer hungover because we have lot to discuss today. Mawile?"

The deceiver Pokemon jolted when she heard her name being called, as if she was lost in thought. She stepped forward, holding a large piece of wrapped cloth, she laid it on top of the flat surface of the Pokemon Nexus and unwrapped it, revealing it to be the the mysterious dark purple Emeras and a Looplet.

"Jirachi? If you could?" She asked.

"Huh? Oh, right." The mythical Pokemon said as he floated towards Mawile's side and tapped on the Nexus a number times, bringing it to life and the blue light of the machine shined towards the ceiling. Mawile placed one of the Emeras onto the center of the Nexus and the machine created a larger holographic image of the stone for everyone to see.

"Analysis of the Emeras show some rather interesting things about its structure." Mawile began explaining, she reached out her hand and enhanced the image of the hologram down to to the molecular structure of the stone. Images of spheres that were partly covered in a sort of dark purple coat began appearing.

"What are those?" Dedenne asked, who was being held by Bunnelby so that she could easily see.

"An Emeras molecular structure." Mawile answered, she was met with confused looks from the other members, including Ampharos. She sighed at herself, not realizing she had to simplify her explanation. "It's the thing that keeps objects solid." She said annoyingly.

"Oooooooh." The other members all replied in unison.

"Anyway!" She said, not wanting this to go off topic. "Notice how there are something purple partly covering the atom? Whatever it is, it's what keeping the Emeras from breaking when taken out of a mystery dungeon."

"You say mystery dungeon, but what dungeon would have wacky Emeras such as these?" Ian asked.

"I'm getting to that, after doing some research and asking a few old friends of mine, it turns out that this specific type of Emera is made out of kancium, a recently discovered mineral, said to be the hardest mineral ever, almost unbreakable."

 _Good grief... I never asked for a lesson in chemistry. Wait, how do I know that it's chemistry?_ Ian said to himself.

"Where's it found?" He asked.

Mawile swiped the image of the molecular structure and it returned to the usual holographic image of the globe of the world. She tapped a small area on the Grass Continent and the area turned red.

"Dread Valley." She replied.

* * *

Entei stood motionless scanning the pillars of rocks that stood high at the peak of Showdown Mountain.

 _He could be anywhere, hiding and planning to ambush me._

It was then, he heard rustling. The sound of footsteps coming from his right. He immediately turned and fired a Flamethrower in the direction of the footsteps. When the smoke had cleared and Entei approached to assess the damage, it turned out that no one was there.

"So, you've come. I honestly thought the Legendary Beast wouldn't show up out of fear."

"Who are you?! Show yourself you coward!" Entei yelled.

"Heh, very well then, I might as well reveal myself before I kill you, consider it a consolation prize from me."

It was then Entei heard an incomprehensible noise from behind him, it sounded distorted and strange, the closest thing he could relate the sound to was that of lava sloshing together in his home back on Fire Island Volcano, when minor tremors would shake the island thanks to the volcano. The volcano Pokemon turned to the source of the noise and his eyes widened at what he saw, a hole that came into existence from nowhere, dark, purplish aura sipping from it. He could barely make out the distorted image of a small figure inside the floating hole. A few seconds later, the figure stepped out from the hole and he could make out the most significant feature of the figure.

A leaf sticking out of his head.

"Now then," Nuzleaf said. "Dark Matter wishes you eternal agony in the Void!"

* * *

A/N: It's been awhile since I did this but I'm writing this regarding the delay of this chapter which I apologize. Exams took up most of my time and motivation to write this chapter. Hopefully in the next two weeks of break I would be able to update regularly.

With that said, I'll be off. Make sure to leave a review if you enjoyed the chapter! With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off.


	65. Blitzkrieg

_Two days later, Expedition Society Headquarters_

 _Entry #22_

 _I've been doing some research lately, regarding Dread Valley, the mystery dungeon Mawile mentioned two days ago in the briefing. I had asked Mawile after the briefing that I was curious and wanted to know more about the Dread Valley, her face glistened with excitement as she handed me a few books regarding it._

 _"It makes me proud knowing that kids like you have an interest in mineralogy!" She said to me. I've never seen her so enthusiastic about something before._

 _Turns out that Dread Valley got its name because of the lack of any life there. Unfavorable climates and clans of Pokemon constantly fighting each other for it makes wild Pokemon a rare sight here._

 _Depressing I know._

 _This is where kancium gets mixed into this, a few years ago some traveling Pokemon discovered this mineral while searching for food... or something like that, this in turn lead to many Pokemon in the scientific community to study its properties. Little did they know it's the hardest and most durable mineral ever to be discovered, details are still sketchy as to how they were formed, but the most accepted conclusion is lava from an underground volcano which not only cause the lands in the valley to be inhabitable, but also formed kancium when it cooled down._

 _If you ask me, that sounds ridiculous, but what do I know? I'm just an amnesiac Mudkip._

Ian closed his diary and got up from his bed for dinner was about to be served. The mudfish Pokemon turned to see Patience tying her Harmony Scarf and wearing back her twig necklace.

"You done yet?" He asked.

The fire fox Pokemon turned around and nodded. "Yeah."

"Wait, hold on..." Ian reached out and adjusted Patience's Scarf, which seemed uncharacteristically untidy, he then tucked the twig inside the Scarf. "There, much better."

"Thanks." She said, somewhat taken back with her partner's actions.

"Is something wrong?"

"H-huh? What are you talking about?"

"You always take priority of the tidiness of your Harmony Scarf, yet here you are calling that messy arrangement good enough, what's wrong?" Ian asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

"I... just have a lot of things in my mind lately." Patience answered.

"You feel like talking about it?"

Patience turned away from Ian and remained silent for a moment, considering the idea.

"After dinner, can't exactly think on an empty stomach."

"Sure."

The two nodded and left their room, making their way to the Mess Hall for dinner, where all the other members were already seated at their places, waiting for the two to arrive so they could eat. Ian and Patience sat at their usual seats and Ampharos soon stood up from his.

"Before we eat," He announced. "I have an announcement regarding what Mawile spoke of two days ago."

The members began mumbling, annoyed and impatient that they couldn't eat just get.

"Be patient now everyone. Now in a few days time, we will set off for Dread Valley, located in the Grass Continent to investigate the mystery Emeras."

"Another expedition chief?" Buizel asked.

"Yes, just like last time, most of us will be participating in this expedition. Remember, the place we're going to will be barren and empty, so be sure to stock up on Oren Berries and Escape Orbs in case of an emergency-"

The Expedition Society chief was cut short when a loud knock from the main door was heard, so loud that they could hear from the Mess Hall.

"Now who might that be? We're closed." Dedenne wondered.

"I'll go see." Patience volunteered, she got out from her seat and ran for the door.

"I swear," Bunnelby muttered. "If it's a solicitor or another Arceus fanatic I'll give them a piece of my-"

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

"Patience?!" Ian exclaimed as he immediately stood up from his seat, Buizel soon followed shortly, which surprised the mudfish Pokemon. No time to wonder about it, as he broke into a dash and ran for the door, as he ran through the corridor and turned round the corner towards the door and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what was in front of him.

It was Patience, visibly shaking as she saw a tall quadruped Pokemon standing in front of her, one of them, blue coloured and had a long and purplish mane sticking of its diamond shaped head. It was carrying the another Pokemon on its back, whom was yellow in colour and had black stripes all over its body and had the same purple mane, it also had long, sharp fangs. The two were covered in bruises, blood dripping from all over their body.

"What the hell?!" Ian yelled as the other Expedition Society members came running out shortly after, curious as to what was going on, the others all had the same expression of shock at the rather gruesome sight.

The Pokemon took a step forward, a few drops of blood dripping onto the floor, Patience nervously took a step back. Ian was about to pull her back but Buizel beat him to it, dragging the fire fox Pokemon to safety.

"He..." The blue Pokemon said, a feminine voice coming out from her. "Entei... is..." Her sentence was cut off as she fell face first onto the floor, the other Pokemon sliding off her back and crashing next to her. It seemed like forever before all the Expedition Society members came rushing towards them, wondering if they were all right. Faith pushed through the others and pressed her hand against their necks, checking for a pulse.

"They're still alive! Everyone, help me move them to the Infirmary, NOW!" She ordered. The sudden booming voice of the usually soft and kind doctor got everyone rushing to her aid. Ian, Buizel and Gadget helped moved the blue Pokemon while Amphaors, Archen and Bunnelby moved the yellow Pokemon.

 _Something tells me it's going to be a long night._ Ian said to himself.

* * *

Patience sat quietly on the steps of the stairwell, contemplating the events of the past hour. The sight of the two bloodied Pokemon still haunting her mind. Someone had cleaned up the blood the two dripped onto the floor during that time, but she never noticed them. She didn't know what was it that frightened her, it's not like this was the first time she's seen blood. The fire fox Pokemon has had her fair shares of scraping from falls back in Serene Village. But seeing someone else, someone who looked like they were on their last legs of life left, it honestly scares her.

 _Come on Patience man up! You fought ghosts for crying out loud._ She tried reassuring herself, she knew it was true, but she just couldn't get the thought out of her head.

"Hey, you all right?"

Patience looked up and saw Buizel standing at the bottom of the stairs, a wet piece of towel in hand. Buizel and the others who had helped carried the two Pokemon to the infirmary were partially covered in blood by the time they were done. Ampharos had the others, including himself head outside to wash the blood off with the help of Ian and Buizel's Water Gun.

 _Speaking of which, where is Ian anyway?_ The fire fox Pokemon wondered.

"Oh, you're done cleaning up Buizel?" She asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, but the others are taking a bit longer because apparently it's harder to get blood off fur." Buizel commented as he walked up the steps and sat next to Patience. "You doing okay? It seems like that encounter really startled you."

"That's one way of putting it." Patience said.

"Listen, its alright, I'm here for you Patie-"

"Don't patronize me Buizel." She cut in. "I'm not that weak you know."

Buizel raised his hands up in surrender. "If you say so."

Just then, the front opened as Ian and the others, all still soaked, came walking in. Gadget shook herself dried as she entered, annoying the other members as the water droplets fell onto them.

"Patience, where are the others?" Ampharos asked.

"Waiting outside the Infirmary." Patience replied, standing up and walking towards the rest of the members. "Faith isn't done treating the two."

"Faith? Who the heck is Faith?" Archen asked.

Ian sighed in annoyance, fed up with constantly needing to inform of the others of Glaceon's real name. "It's Glaceon's real name." He said.

"Oh." Was the response from the other Expedition Society members in the room. The mudfish Pokemon was surprised at the indifference from them.

 _Then again, they didn't react so much when I told them I was a human so I guess it was to be expected._ He said to himself.

"Right, let's go check up on the others, shall we?" Ampharos said, with the rest nodding in agreement and following his lead down the corridor, they saw Dedenne, Swirlix and Jirachi with his Expedition Gadget in hand and tapping on it the three were by the door to the Infirmary, but Mawile was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where's Mawile?" Bunnelby asked.

"Inside helping Glaceon," Dedenne replied. "said she knew how to help."

"I didn't know Mawile was good in medicine." Ian commented.

"No, she isn't." Ampharos said. "Medicine was never her expertise." The lighthouse decided to approach the door and gave a soft knock. "Are we allowed to come in?"

"Yeah," Came Mawile's muffled voice through the door. "it should be fine, just mind your step."

Ampharos opened the door as the others began crowding around him to see what was going on inside, it was not what they had expected.

Inside the Infirmary was Mawile, a Looplet with one of the kancium Emeras attached to it strapped on her wrist, had her arms stretched out as a strange aura seeped out from her hands. The strange aura was covering the two Pokemon who were laying in bed as Faith worked tirelessly to seal their wounds.

"What... is this?" Ampharos asked, confused with the sight he was seeing.

"It's a kind of force field that stops the flow of time to whatever that's in it." Mawile explained.

"I-i-impossible..." Jirachi muttered. Being a tech specialist and astronomer, science had always been his forte, a method of explaining anything unknown to him. But now, right in front of him, he couldn't believe what he's seeing, and no amount of science would give him the answer he desires to explain this.

"I cannot express how useful this would have been throughout my years as a doctor." Faith said, as she grabbed a pair of tweezers to stitch the last of the blue female Pokemon's wounds. "My job would have been so much less messy." As Faith finished sealing the final wound, she removed the gloves she had been wearing and wiped the her forehead in relief. Mawile lowered her hands and the blue aura disappeared. The two Pokemon suddenly moving again. As if trying to regain consciousness.

"So... who are these guys?" Ian asked.

"Allow me to find out!" Jirachi excitingly said as he floated over to the two Pokemon. The wish Pokemon tapped a few buttons on his Expedition Gadget and began waving it first at the blue Pokemon and then at the yellow one. After a few minutes, he turned to the other members with a grin on his face.

"We got a match! The yellow fellow here is Raikou and the blue one is Suicune." He announced.

"WHAT?!" Most of the Expedition Society members yelling in surprise, except for Ian and Patience, who were confused as to what was going on.

"You mean... THE Raikou and Suicune?" Archen asked.

"Well, it's not like they're other Raikous and Suicunes out there now is there?" Jirachi replied snakily.

"B-but wait," Buizel cuts in. "then why did Suicune mention Entei's name earlier?"

"Did something happened to him I wonder?" Gadget added.

"No way to solve this than to ask them ourselves." Ampharos suggested. The lighthouse Pokemon waved the other members to give him some space to talk to Raikou and Suicune. "Hello there Suicune, can you hear me?"

Suicune's body began shifting, as her eyes began to open. "A-Ampharos..." She said.

"You know me?"

"Entei speaks highly of you, said you were a rather interesting Pokemon."

"Well, I'm flattered to hear that." He said.

Suicune hastily got up but immediately began to stumble, Faith, moving as quick as a flash grabbed hold of Suicune and gently laid her back in bed.

"I would advise against moving so much right now, your wounds are too serious for that." She said.

Annoyed, the aurora Pokemon sat back in her bed, sitting straight up this time.

"Raikou... is he safe?" She eventually asked.

Ampharos pointed towards the bed next to her as she turned around to see the still unconscious Raikou laying in bed, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"So mind telling us what the heck is going on?" Buizel asked, sounding more like a demand.

"Calm down Buizel." Ampharos said, to which the sea weasel Pokemon immediately shutting up. "Why did you come to us? Injured no less, was someone after you?"

"Entei..." Suicune said. "He has been turned into stone."

"WHAAAAT?!" All the Expedition Society members exclaimed, shocked with the news.

"W-what happened?!" Ian asked.

"He... he had received a letter from someone, someone who had claimed to be the culprit behind the turning to stone incidents." Suicune explained.

"The culprit?! As in, the actual one?" Patience said.

"The culprit challenged Entei to a duel on Showdown Mountain, but he had failed to defeat him." Suicune continued explaining. "I was informed of this when Houndoom, Entei's lackey, arrived at my domain in Frosty Forest. He had warned me about the letter and to be careful for I might be next. That was when I also decided to warn my brother Raikou here about the situation. Needless to say he made a rash decision."

"Went to Showdown Mountain as well?" Ian asked.

"Exactly, he was hell bent on finding out whoever did this and bringing him to justice, I chased after him to Showdown Mountain to try and reason with him, but that was when it happened, we were ambushed, by figures hiding in the shadows, could have been no less than a dozen of them. We ran as far as we could and made our way here, the Expedition Society, the one place close enough to get help from."

"A dozen of them?!" Ampharos exclaimed in surprise. "Oh boy, that's not good..."

"So what's the reason you come here?" Gadget asked.

"We... we ask for your help, to protect us and the artifacts we guard." Suicune said.

"Artifacts?" Ian wondered, but suddenly remembered what she meant. "You mean the A.M.D.R.O?"

"Yes, I have reasons to believe that the only reason they were after us was to leave the artifact vulnerable, most likely to destroy it. I cannot imagine what would happen if they cease to function."

"But wait, I thought there was four of them, where's the fourth one?" Mawile asked.

Suicune shrugged. "You guess is as good as mine."

"Regardless, we can discuss more of this tomorrow." Ampharos said. "We've all had a long day and are tired."

"I agree." Suicune said. "We will discuss about this tommor-"

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted when a loud stomach growl echoed through the Infirmary. It came from Suicune, whose face was dark red as she felt a sense of embarrassment on her.

"Um, do you have any Perfect Apples by chance?" Suicune asked, suddenly sounding soft and shy. "Because I could really go for one right now."

* * *

Ian untied his Harmony Scarf and placed it on the shelf as he sat down by the table with Patience, he had been curious as to what was bothering her ever since she told him about it earlier. And now was the time for him to find out.

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" He asked.

Patience, who had also left her Scarf and necklace by her bed, nervously scratched her head. "I-it's a little embarrassing honestly..." She replied.

"Come on Patience, you've known me long enough to know that I would never judge you." Ian reassured. "It's alright, you can tell me."

The fire fox Pokemon let out a sigh. "Okay then." She said. "I... have been suffering from constant nightmares lately."

"Nightmares? Why's that?"

"That's the problem! I don't know why I keep having nightmares! It's been causing me to sometimes wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and afraid, it's been mentally straining me and I just want it to stop!" Patience said, sounding as if she was frustrated.

"You mean like the night when we first joined the Expedition Society?" Ian asked.

"Yes... something like that." Patience answered.

"Do you remember anything about the nightmares?"

The fire fox Pokemon closed her eyes for a moment, trying to remember the details of her dreams.

"I... I remember waking right here, in our room, but for some reason when I turned to your bed, you were nowhere to be found. I got up from the bed and headed out into the corridor, and I couldn't find any of the other members, no matter how hard I tried."

Ian eyes slightly widened at the mention of that.

 _This seems very_ familiar _... but I can't recall from where..._ He said to himself.

"I went outside and the sky was grey, as unnerving as it could get, and there was this... thing that kept following me, like a ghost."

 _Okay, this is sounding TOO familiar._

"What happened then?" Ian asked, wanting to know that this wasn't just his imagination.

"The ghost kept repeating the same words over and over again: 'Help me.'"

Shocked, realizing that Patience's dream was one for one exactly the same as hers, he got from his seat and began pacing around the room, unsure as to how to react.

"W-what is it? Did I say something?" Patience asked worriedly.

"I... have a confession to make." Ian said, as he sat back down in his seat, he let out a 'here goes nothing' sort of sigh before deciding to tell his partner. "I have also experienced that dream before, exactly the same as the one you mentioned."

"W-what...?" Was all Patience said, her mouth hanging open in surprise.

"You being missing, everyone else nowhere to be found, gray skies looming outside and a shadowy figure." Ian repeated. "It all seemed so familiar but it finally clicked and I remembered having that exact same dream some time ago."

The two of them remained in awkward silence for what seemed like minutes, unsure as to how to process this rather unnerving coincidence. Eventually, Patience said what the two of them had exactly in mind.

"Something tells me this isn't just a coincidence..."


	66. Blockade

"Good morning everyone, I hope all of you had a good nights sleep?" Ampharos greeted to the Expedition Society members who had gathered around at the Nexus.

"Not really, because SOMEONE was a loud snorer." Faith said as she turned to face Suicune.

"I-I'm sorry, I just can't help it." Suicune apologized.

"Maybe I should make a medicine to cure snoring..." Faith mumbled to herself.

"Ahem, anyway, as discussed yesterday, the ones responsible for the turning to stone incidents have their eyes on Raikou and Suicune. That is why our priorities have shifted to protecting Raikou and Suicune at all costs." Ampharos explained.

"What about Fire Island Volcano?" Buizel asked. "That artifact is left vulnerable with Entei out of the picture."

"That is why we'll be needing every member on this mission, I'll be splitting everyone up accordingly to protect each of the artifacts."

"Three areas, twelve members..." Ian said. "So that makes it four members for each location."

"Yes, we are all aware of that Ian, we know our numbers well enough." Patience sarcastically replied.

"Hey! I'm the only one who can be snarky here!" Ian said, sounding slightly offended as he lightly nudged the fire fox Pokemon, who simply responded with her sticking her tongue at him.

"Are you two done yet?" Ampharos asked, a serious tone in his voice, the two immediately kept quiet and continued listening to what he had to say. "I've already arranged everyone into their respective groups, please take a good look at it."

Ampharos tapped a few buttons on the Nexus and a few seconds later images of each of the Expedition Society members appeared. Ian immediately spotted his image, above it was the letter 'A'. Alongside him were Ampharos, Mawile and Faith. Patience was under group B alongside Archen, Swirlix and Bunnelby and finally group C were Gadget, Dedenne, Buizel and Jirachi.

"Please form up into your respective groups." Ampharos ordered.

Everyone nodded as they joined with the members of their respective groups. Ian noticed that Patience had a somewhat worried look on her face, he and Patience had always been together as a pair when exploring dungeons, it feels awkward not having each other's backs.

 _Everything will be fine Ian, she has Archen, Swirlix and Bunnelby to take care of her._ He reassured himself.

"Now then, here are the locations each group will be heading to." Ampharos said as he continued tapping buttons on the Nexus. The globe moved on its own as it zoomed in on a small area west of the Sand Continent. "Group B, you will be protecting Raikou at the Isle Of Light." The globe then changed view to a familiar location." Group C will be heading to Fire Island Volcano to help out Entei's group." The globe finally moved to a final location on the north east side of the Air Continent. "And finally, me and group A will be heading to Frosty Forest."

Buizel raised his hand up.

"Yes Buizel?"

"These locations are pretty far from Lively Town, it'll take days for us to reach our respective locations on the other continents, time that we cannot waste!"

"I've considered that issue earlier, but I may have found the solution. An associate of mine could help us with this."

"An associate?" Ian asked.

"He will arrive in due time, but for now, this is the mission plan, we will put a blockade in the perpetrators path and hopefully put an end to this once and for all. We will reconvene when my associate arrives. Dismissed."

The Expedition Society members and Suicune began scattering and heading back downstairs, Ian and Patience joined up again and went on their way, off to do more missions and expeditions for the day.

"Are you going to be alright Pae?" Ian asked as the two headed down the stairs.

"Huh?"

"Not being with me, you going to be alright?"

The fire fox Pokemon stopped and turned to face her partner, a very annoyed look on her face.

"What makes you think I can't handle on my own?" She snapped at Ian, feeling slightly offended. "I can very handle on my own thank you very much."

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I was kinda worried about you." Ian said.

Patience face softened up, as she shook her head. "I know you are, but I can handle myself, so don't worry about it alright?"

"If you say so princess."

Patience eyes twitched as she punched the mudfish Pokemon in the arm, just with enough force for it to hurt him, to which Ian simply chuckled.

"Hey guys!" Faith yelled from across the room, which got the attention of everyone else in the room who turned their head to see the fresh snow Pokemon waving at at from the Infirmary. "Raikou is awake!"

"What?!" The Expedition Society members exclaimed as they hurriedly ran to the Infirmary to see for themselves. As everyone began crowding around the entrance of the infirmary, Faith held her hand up, preventing them from entering.

"Sorry folks no visitors allowed, only Suicune can see the patient."

The Expedition Society members became rowdy over Faith's restrictions.

"Then why did you call us for?!" Buizel asked annoyingly.

"Hey, I only SAID he woke up, I didn't ask you all of you to come visit him now did I?" Faith snapped back, which silenced the sea weasel Pokemon.

"Raikou... is he alright?" Suicune asked, a tone of despair and worry in her voice.

"Given his wounds, I'm surprised he's even up on his feet." Faith said.

Just then, the Infirmary swiftly opened, nearly missing Faith by mere centimeters, and out came Raikou, stumbling on his feet as he struggled to keep himself straight.

"Brother! You're awake!" Suicune exclaimed as she ran up to Raikou and hugged him.

"Please don't shout sis, I just got up from my nap." He said, as he gently nudged aurora Pokemon to let go of him.

"Now that's a Pokemon I can relate to." Ian commented.

The thunder Pokemon let out a yawn and stretched himself, looking as if he had just woke up from sleeping despite being extremely wounded just last night.

"You Expedition Society folks have some Chesto Berry juice I could drink?" Raikou asked. "I'm not exactly a morning kind of Pokemon."

* * *

Fletchinder stared lazily at the board of notes he had set up in his room at the Cafe Connection in Lively Town. It was a board filled with notes regarding the turning to stone incidents, everything from the very first incident in Ragged Mountains, Team Orion, Pokemon Square and the most recently reported of the legendary Eon twins of Latios and Latias falling victim to this heartless culprit.

 _At least, most recently reported anyway._

This must have been the twentieth, maybe thirtieth time he's stared at this board. His fascination with taking up this job of what was supposed finding 'the latest scoop' regarding this incident has turned into an obsession. He had forgotten all about his journalist job and hasn't returned to The Poké Daily offices in almost a month, he couldn't imagine how his boss would react of him lagging behind on his work.

 _Arceus, I need another drink._

The fire bird Pokemon left his room as he walked down the hallway towards the café, where he saw Kangaskhan who was busy serving other customers who began coming in first thing in the morning for breakfast. When the parent Pokemon saw the journalist approaching, she nodded and showed Fletchinder an empty table to seat by as she prepared his usual order over the last week.

 _Two apples and a Cheri Berry juice._

A lot of Pokemon had wondered why he orders such a strange combination, why Cheri Berry of all things? That juice was specifically meant to cure paralysis and sometimes even for back and body pains for old Pokemon. Whenever someone pops the question of why he likes it, he'll always say the same thing.

"I just like the taste, that's all. It's my favorite drink."

As he sat by the table that overlooked most of the Café Connection, his mind began to wander back to his work, despite trying his best to distract himself from it.

 _Dang, I really should have brought a few books for this._

Regardless, he decided to ponder over a few things regarding the turning to stone incidents as he wait patiently for his food to arrive. The big question that was on everybody's mind: Who was responsible for all this? Or rather, given recent possibilities brought up by Ampharos of the Expedition Society, what group of Pokemon would want to do such a thing? The immediate and easy answer would have been the Dark Childs, mentioned in the file given to him by his associate over a week ago, which he handed it over to Ian to pass it to Ampharos. It seemed like a reasonable possibility, that a group of potential crazy, not right in the mind Pokemon who worship a sort of deity called Dark Matter would have the capability to turn a Pokemon, even a Legendary, into stone.

 _But that's just that, mere speculations._

Just then, he saw Kangaskhan approached him, she was holding a tray of apples and a cup.

"Here you go." She politely said as she placed the two apples and cup of Cheri Berry juice on the table. "That'll be-"

"-50 Pokés." Fletchinder finished her sentence as he reached into his bag and took the required amount of Poké and handed the coins over to her.

"Thank you, have a nice morning!" She said as she went on her way, leaving Fletchinder alone once more. After a few more minutes of quiet contemplation, he finally picked up his apple and began eating it, relishing the sweetness of the fruit. As he continued eating, it was then he noticed something moving in the corner of his eye, something large and red in colour. He slightly turned his head to see who it was. There was no mistaking the tall, black striped Pokemon that stood next to him.

 _Krookodile._

Although this was the first time he had seen the hulking red Pokemon, he's heard of him plenty of times from customers whom he unintentionally eavesdrop because of his increased sense of hearing being a flying type, although mostly just gossips about the local hooligan getting beaten up by a child.

 _Quite the scary looking fellow I have to say._ Fletchinder said to himself as the intimidation Pokemon walked past him nonchalantly, unaware of the fire bird's presence. He watched as Krookodile sat a few tables across from him, staring blankly at the wall.

"What is that guy even doing...?" Fletchinder muttered to himself. As if on cue, two other Pokemon approached his table, two that who didn't seem familiar in Lively Town.

A Granbull and a Shelgon.

The two new Pokemon sat down at Krookodile's table, Fletchinder began eating like normal to ensure he didn't seemed suspicious, and began listening in on the three's conversation.

"Things aren't going as planned." The Shelgon said. "The two got away from us and survived the ambush."

"This could prove problematic with our plans," Krookodile said, stroking his long jaws. "They'll definitely be more prepared and make sure the artefact is defended. They'll bound to seek help."

"The Beheeyems said that the two headed for the Expedition Society, think we should attack it right now?" Granbull suggested.

"No, that would compromise this entire operation and will reveal ourselves. We'll go for a more... subtler approach."

 _What the... these three are up to something! I have to warn the Expedition Society about it!_

Fletchinder finished up the rest of his food and got off from his table, leaving the scene as discreetly as he could. He made his way back to his room to pick up his fedora and bag before leaving.

 _Just who could the two Pokemon that they mentioned? And what do they mean by artefact? So many questions that remain unknown to him._

Before he could theorize what they might be, he failed to notice a Pokemon in his way along the room corridor and bumped directly the other Pokemon.

"Oh, apologies for that, I-" His sentence was cut short when he managed to catch a glimpse of whom he had bumped into. The yellow body frame, strange whisker like things on his face, holding two spoons, and the glint of a Diamond Rank rescue badge on his body, there was no mistaking the Pokemon. "Y-you're-!"

Alakazam raised his hand and his body glowed blue. Fletchinder suddenly realized he could no longer open his mouth. The psychic Pokemon of Team A.C.T had forced his mouth shut with nothing but the power of his mind.

 _Truly a Pokemon worthy of his rank..._ The journalist thought to himself.

"Keep quiet and listen carefully." Alakazam said, a rather intimidating tone in his voice. "Open the door to your room and so that I can speak to you in private, is that clear?"

Fletchinder nodded.

"Good."

The psi Pokemon released his psychic grasp on Fletchinder, as he stumbled for a moment from the surprise encounter, before opening the door to his room and letting him in. More and more questions began flooding his head.

 _What the heck is the leader of the most prestigious Rescue Team in the world doing here? In my room no less?!_

Alakazam entered the room and approached the first thing that caught his eye, Fletchinder's note board, which he began closely examining. The fire bird Pokemon stood awkwardly at the back of the room, nervously twiddling with his wing and unsure as to what to say.

"Um... that's my note board in case you haven't noticed." Fletchinder immediately shut himself up.

 _What the heck are you thinking?! That sounded pretty rude!_

 _"Hey, the guy just used his psychic to physically shut my mouth! I think I deserve to be a bit hostile! Even if he is THE Alakazam!"_

 _Well... you got a point, but-_

 _'Apologies for my rather hasty action, I didn't want anyone to be aware of my presence.'_

 _'What the...?! How are you-?! Get out of my head!'_ Fetchinder exclaimed, shocked of the sudden second voice that was speaking in his head.

 _'Relax, I am simply speaking to you through telekinesis, so that it is safer.'_ Alakazam said.

 _'Safe from what?'_

 _'Eavesdropping.'_

 _'From who?'_

Alakazam didn't answer that question, instead he began pacing around the room, looking as if he was pondering about something.

' _W-what do you want from me...?'_ Fletchinder asked.

' _Ampharos told me I could trust you, said that you could keep secrets.'_ Alakazam said, ignoring the journalist's question.

 _'Ampharos? You mean the chief of the Expedition Society? THAT Ampharos?!'_

Alakazam nodded.

 _'What's going on around here?!'_ Fletchinder exclaimed, growing more frustrated and impatient with the psi Pokemon's vagueness.

 _'Ampharos had contacted me because he needed my help, he needed my assistance in instantly teleporting his group to multiple places across the world.'_

 _'How is that possible?'_ Fletchinder asked. _'Even for someone like you that's a pretty tough task given how much psychic energy that would require.'_

 _'Precisely, I simply do not have the power to teleport multiple Pokemon to multiple locations consecutively. However, I do have an alternative.'_

 _'And what would that be?''_

Alakazam reached into his shoulder slung bag and removed a small, clear diamond shaped object and held it out for Fletchinder to see.

"A Teleport Gem." Alakazam began speaking normally again. "An item capable of teleporting Pokemon to anywhere they want to. However, it can only teleport four Pokemon at a time.

"Well that's nice and all, but what does this have to do with me?" Fletchinder asked.

Alakazam placed the gem back into his bag and approached the fire bird Pokemon, which unsettled him. The psi Pokemon placed a hand on his wings, a slight smirk on his face.

"How would you like to help Alakazam of Team A.C.T with some crafting?"


	67. Staying Alive

_Author's POV_

Ian sighed as he headed out of the Expedition Society's doors and looked around Lively Town. He starts to yawn, desperate for sleep.

 _Well, I guess someone has to look for her..._

 _I better get this done quickly so I can sleep..._

Then, through the darkness of the night, his attention is caught when he noticed a blue figure sitting by the docks, next to the dimly lit lighthouse in the distance.

 _Bingo._

He then walked over to see Faith staring up at the sky, looking deep in thought. The Glaceon turned her head to see the Mudkip approaching her.

"Oh... uh... Ian... what're you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same question," The Mudkip responded. "We do have a big mission tomorrow with going to Frosty Forest and all that..."

"I know, I know, I'm just... tired..." The Glaceon replied, sounding slightly exhausted as she slowly turns her head to look up at the stars again. "Dealing with Suicune and Raikou's wounds was a bit too troublesome for my taste..."

"You just need some rest..." Ian replied. He then starts to make a gesture, motioning Faith to come back to the Expedition Society. "Which is exactly why you need to head back so you'll be well rested to handle our mission tomorrow."

Faith simply smiled at Ian, ignoring his gesture. "You know, I'm starting to feel like Patience with how much you've been looking after me lately. I'm surprised."

The Mudkip then started to silence himself once he notices Faith's kind smile. The same smile that continued to melt his heart. He couldn't help but smile back.

"In my defense, Patience is in good hands... uh... paws... er... feathers... um... fluff this time around," He said, sitting down on the grass. "But... you know, I guess I can't help it with a Glaceon as cute as you..."

"Oh, you charmer..." Faith blushed. "I still wonder why you helped me during my times of need..."

"Maybe it's because I'm a Water type. Water helps with that fire issue of yours. Helps with Rock types, too," Ian answered, half-jokingly. "Well... I guess Buizel can do that too, but I guess I'm different."

"I guess so," Faith responded, catching on to the Mudkip's tone. "But seriously... Ian... I still haven't properly thanked you for all the times you've been there for me..."

"Well... how about you just keep being you?" Ian answered. "I mean, even if you had felt bad about yourself and everything that's been bringing you down, I didn't mind any of that... And now I want you to remember that. I'll admit, you're a part of the motivation I have to keep going. To... well, stay alive and all that."

"Then... I'll keep being myself. Thank you..." Faith then pulled Ian into an embrace. "I needed the comfort..."

"Don't worry... I'm always here..." Ian then started to return the embrace. "After all, like I said, you are part of the reason I motivate myself to stay alive..."

"And so are you..."

The two then continued enjoying each other's company in each other's embrace for the next few minutes, the peaceful silence of the night sky continuing to loom over them.

"Now... if you're ready to go back... if you'll excuse me..." Ian then withdrew from the embrace, turning back to the path back to the Expedition Society. "I'll go continue being myself..."

The Mudkip then proceeds to take a step, only to fall over, sound asleep.

Faith simply giggles at Ian's state.

"Looks like I'll have to carry you back, just like you did for me."

* * *

A/N: In case you haven't noticed the sudden change in writing style, I actually didn't write this. This was written by a good friend of mine named flareon71 as part of a pseudo collab we're doing by writing one shipping chapter for each other's story. I too, have written one for flareon71 in his new Super Mystery Dungeon fanfic, The Tale Of Team Longshot. Which chapter would it be? Guess you'll just have to read and stay updated to his story!

With that said, this is Ikcatcher, signing off!


	68. Change Of Plans

_The next day_

 _Entry #23_

 _It's been an odd last two days at the Expedition Society. For starters, we have two Legendary Pokemon as guests, Raikou and Suicune._

 _They're quite the... interesting company. Suicune is surprisingly a rather nice Pokemon, she likes playing in the snow and making snow sculptures. Her rather soft spoken and kind demeanor really reminds me of Faith._

 _Raikou is a strange one, one second he can be making jokes about the absurdity of mystery dungeons and the next he's eating three apples in one go just because he can._

 _He's a cool guy._

* * *

"I see everyone is now here and ready." Ampharos said as he watched the eleven other Expedition Society members, Raikou and Suicune all gather in the lobby, the members have all grouped up into their respective groups and had their Expedition Bag slung over their shoulders. Everyone had spent all of yesterday buying supplies and get enough rest. Considering the very dangerous mission that laid ahead of them, they needed to be in their best shape so that they don't lose focus.

Ampharos had also suggested that they should put the 'Dark Emeras', as Mawile appropriately named, to good use. There were two dozens of this Emeras to choose from, meaning that each member will equip two Emeras on their Looplets. Most of the Dark Emeras have not been tested, that meant that the Expedition Society members would have no idea how beneficial the Emeras would prove when they're in battle. Ian, Patience, Gadget and Mawile have Emeras that have already been used previously, and in turn have proper knowledge of its effects. The Emeras being stronger attacks, time stopping field, see through walls and higher agility respectively.

"So where's this associate you speak of?" Suicune asked.

"He should be arriving anytime no-"

Before Ampharos could finish, there was a knock on the door.

"...Speak of the devil." He said, as he approached the door to open it. When the members finally locked eyes on the mysterious associate, they gasped in surprise of the identity of the Pokemon.

"HOLY ARCEUS IT'S ALAKAZAM!" Buizel yelled as the other members began rushing forward to meet the famous Rescue Team member in the flesh. Gadget seemed the most ecstatic to meet him.

"Alakazam!" She greeted. "It has been awhile."

"Gadget, it has been some time indeed. How goes the puzzle cube I had given you?"

The gleam eyes Pokemon shook her head. "I unfortunately do not know the method to solve it, please, can you show me how?"

"Only when you are at your most peaceful state, you will find the answer you desire." Alakazam said, which only confused her even more.

For Ian, however, the mudfish Pokemon had no idea what was going on. What's the big deal of this Alakazam specifically? He gave Patience a slight nudge, trying to get her attention as she tried tip-toeing to get a better view of Alakazam who was obstructed by the other members.

"Hey Pae!" He whispered. "Who's the guy with the two spoons over there? He a hotshot?" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"That 'hotshot' over there is Alakazam!" Patience replied, sounding slightly annoyed at her partner's rude comment. "He's the leader of Team A.C.T, the greatest Rescue Team to ever live! We studied about them in Mr Farfetche'd's class remember?"

"Well I uh..."

Patience sighed. "You weren't listening were you?" She assumed. "Tsk tsk, this is why I scored much higher than you in our tests, and in turn that makes me smarter than you."

"Yeah yeah whatever..." Was all Ian said, which Patience assumed was him putting his hands up in defeat.

Unbeknownst to the two, it was then that Alakazam took notice of Ian and Patience. His eyes more focused on the rather strange Mudkip, something about his presence that felt strange to him. The psi Pokemon brushed past the Expedition Society members to get a closer look at the mudfish Pokemon.

"Uh... can I help you?" Ian asked awkwardly.

"Your eyes..." Alakazam said, closely inspecting him, which was starting to make Ian uncomfortable. "You have a look that reminds me of someone I know."

"Thanks...?" He said, nervously pacing a few steps back from Alakazam.

"Were you perhaps once a human if I may ask?"

The mudfish Pokemon froze at the frighteningly accurate guess. _How was it possible for someone to tell that I used to be a human just me looking at me?!_ He asked himself. "H-how did you figure that out...?" He finally asked.

"I have met a few humans turned Pokemon throughout my life." Alakazam replied. "You remind of the very first one I met. It's almost exactly the same, a human and a female Pokemon forming a team together."

Ian turned his head to look at Patience, who had done the same as well. The both of them looked awkwardly at each other, feeling strange with that rather odd comparison.

 _Do humans ALWAYS have a female exploration partner? Or is it just me?_

"That's fascinating and all," Archen interrupted. "but I pretty sure you're not here to flatter our new recruits."

"R-right, my apologies for that, son of Team Blazing Griffen."

"Wait, you're telling me even Alakazam knows about your parents?" Ian asked. "What did your parents even do to achieve such recognition?"

"I... uh, I'll tell you some other time, right now we got more important things to attend to." Archen replied which prematurely ended Ian's questioning.

Ampharos let off a cough, which was the signal for everyone to pay attention. "Right, now that Alakazam is here, I'll let him explain how is he going to get us to our destinations. Alakazam, if you would."

"Of course." The psi Pokemon replied as he stood in front of the crowd of Expedition Society members and the two Legendary Beasts. Alakazam reached into his bag and removed what seemed like a small, transparent object, it half the size of Alakazam's hands. "This, is a Teleport Gem."

"Never heard of it." Swirlix said.

"Me neither, I have not heard of such an item." Mawile added.

"It... kinda reminds me of an Emera." Patience said.

"This Teleport Gem," Alakazam cut in. "originally created by a Pokemon named Xatu to help stop a world ending crisis. It can teleport up to four Pokemon at once to any location in the world, simply think of the location you wish to teleport to and the gem will do the rest."

"I-incredible!" Jirachi exclaimed, the mythical Pokemon floating around the Teleport Gem in fascination. "An item that can teleport Pokemon just as easily as a strong psychic Pokemon! It is most intriguing indeed!"

Alakazam, who was unfazed with the wish Pokemon's excitement, simply handed him the Gem he was holding as Jirachi happily floated back to his group, examining the Teleport Gem with a childlike glee on his face. The psi Pokemon then handed the remaining two Teleport Gems to Ampharos and Archen

"Hold on, I have a question." Suicune interrupted. "If the Teleport Gem can only teleport four Pokemon at once, what about me and Raikou? You're not suggesting we run back to our respective dungeons are you?"

"As much of Legendary Pokemon as I am, I'm not exactly the fastest runner." Raikou added.

"Not to worry, I have enough psychic energy to teleport the two of you to your respective dungeons in an instan-"

"GUYS! GUYYYYYS!"

The room fell silent and everyone stopped what they were doing to turn towards the open entrance, the source of the voice. A few seconds later, a red, birdlike figure came crashing into the lobby, taking everyone by surprise. It only took a moment for Ian, Patience, and Ampharos to know who it was.

"Fletchinder!" The three called out in unison as the fire bird Pokemon got off the ground and adjusted his messy fedora, a look of panic was written all over his face. "What are you doing here?" Ian asked.

"S-S-Serene Village! I-it's- its horrible! Everything's horrible!

"Fletchinder!" Alakazam called out, which silenced the journalist. "Deep breaths, slowly now."

Fletchinder nodded and did as instructed. He took a deep breath and exhaled, he repeated the process a few times until he was relaxed enough to speak properly. "Okay... okay... I'm good now." He said.

"Now, what is it about Serene Village you were trying to say?" Ampharos asked.

"I... I overheard something between Krookodile and another Pokemon over at the Café Connection just now."

"Krookodile...?!" Ampharos said, as he and the rest of the Expedition Society began taking what Fletchinder more seriously.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but... may I ask who might this Krookodile fellow be?"

"Lively Town's hooligan, and a suspect in the turning to stone incidents." Ampharos briefly explained.

"Ooooh, this just took an interesting turn." Raikou commented.

"Krookodile..." Fletchinder continued. "mentioned something about 'him' finding 'the fourth one', at the top of Revelation Mountain. He said all they needed now was for the 'human' to arrive."

"WHAAAAAT?!" Everyone in the room exclaimed, shocked with the sudden reveal of new information. Ian, being the most frightened over the whole thing. The sudden mention of a human sent the most unpleasant chill down his spine. Was that human him? No, it could just be one of the many other humans that roam the world. Right...?

"B-but what could possibly be at the top of Revelation Mountain?" Patience wondered. The memory of the time she, Ian and Nuzleaf went up Revelation Mountain out of curiosity but was eventually shut down when Officer Magnezone was seen patrolling the dungeon. The possibilities of what could potentially be up there both excite and frighten her.

"Wait... fourth one... could it be...?!" Suicune whispered to herself.

"Care to share with the rest of the group what you have in mind?" Mawile asked.

"The artifacts that we protect, legend has it that there are actually four of them, the fourth one hidden somewhere in the world." Suicune explained.

"I remember Entei mentioning that before." Gadget said. "Hold on... are you suggesting...?!"

The aurora Pokemon nodded. "I believe that the fourth and final AMDRO, is at the summit of Revelation Mountain!"

The room fell silent when she proposed that idea, eyes widening in surprise after linking the two together, the possibility may very well be plausible.

"Well then, this changes things completely." Ampharos said. "Due to the sudden probability of another artifact on Revelation Mountain, some changes need to be made in order to form another group to head there and investigate, group D. Ian, Patience and Gadget will head to Revelation Mountain, confirm the presence of a fourth AMDRO, and protect it if necessary." Ampharos nodded and smiled at Ian and Patience. "Serene Village needs your help."

"Thank you sir!" Patience said as she, Ian and Gadget separated from their previous groups and arrange themselves respectively.

"I'll go with them too." Fletchinder volunteered, which took the other Expedition Society members by surprise.

"With all due respect, this is a highly dangerous mission we're heading off to!" Buizel protested. "Someone like you would only put the other members in danger!"

"I second that." Archen added. "As much as I admire your determination, it would be worthless if you're not prepared."

"I'm well aware of what I'm getting myself into, but my fate was sealed the moment I took up this investigation. If I'm going to die im the process, I may as well help out as much as I can!"

Ampharos, after taking a few moments to consider, eventually nodded at the journalist's request to join. "The more help we have, the better our chances. 'United we stand, together we can!'"

Fletchinder, satisfied with the Expedition Society Chief's approval, made his way to Ian's group. The mudfish Pokemon simply nodded in approval of his willingness to help.

"This... creates a new problem now." Alakazam said. "I have only created three Teleport Gems, I did not anticipate a scenario where a fourth Gem would be needed."

"Wait, you're a psychic type right? Can't you just teleport us to Serene Village?" Ian asked.

"I can, but you must be aware that these Teleport Gems can also teleport you back here in the event of an emergency, you won't have any method of returning back if I were to simply teleport you there."

"We'll be fineeeee!" Patience said nonchalantly. "The Hydroflames have been in stickier situations before, right Ian?"

"I suppose." The mudfish Pokemon said.

"Serene Village is the closest place from here compared to the rest of the group, I think the others would need it more than we do."

Gadget nodded. "That plan is the most logical course of action, I approve of it."

"Same here." Fletchinder said. "We can handle ourselves just fine."

"If you insist." The psi Pokemon said. "I will teleport the four of you first just outside of Serene Village before teleporting Raikou and Entei to their respective domains."

"Alright then!" Ampharos said." With everything settled, it's time we head on our way then. Commencing Operation Unstoned now! Good luck everyone and stay safe!"

The whole room fell silent from Ampharos's ridiculous name for an operation. Some were shaking their heads in disapproval, while others were face palming in embarrassment. The lighthouse Pokemon simply shrugged and joined up with group A. Archen and Jirachi both raised their Teleport Gems and a few seconds later, their group disappeared in a flash. Leaving Raikou and Suicune awkwardly standing by. Ampharos was about to activate the Teleport Gem when Faith requested to speak with Ian first, she quickly made her way to the mudfish Pokemon and handed him a syringe filled with a white substance.

"What's this?" Ian asked.

"Remember that bandage injector idea I had? Well, I finally managed to make a prototype of it, using cottons from a Cottonee, it could theoretically seal up any wounds in an instant. Though I really hope it doesn't have to come to that..."

Ian placed his hand over Faith's, giving her a reassuring smile. "Let's make sure we come back safe, alright?"

The Glaceon nodded. "It's a deal."

The two eventually let go and Ian placed the syringe into his bag. The mudfish Pokemon caught one final glimpse of Faith before she disappeared, along with Ampharos and Mawile. Leaving his group the only one left to head off.

"You two seem very close." Patience commented, to which Ian decided not to respond to.

 _Are we really that close? I know we've had some rather close bonding moments but..._ The mudfish Pokemon shook those thoughts out of his head, now wasn't the time to dwindle on it.

"Are you all ready?" Alakazam asked.

The four Pokemon nodded.

"Good, remain as still as possible during the teleportation, we don't want parts of you to end up on a different continent."

"Wait what?!" Ian exclaimed.

The psi Pokemon let out a laugh. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" The other Pokemon simply gave an uncomfortable stare at him. Even Raikou and Suicune felt disturbed with Alakazam's attempt at dark humour at a time like this. "But seriously, remain still so that I won't need to use as much psychic energy than I need to." As Alakazam stood in front of Ian, Patience, Gadget and Fletchinder,His entire body glowing a bright blue aura, the two Legendary Beasts approached them to bid the group farewell.

"May the winds of the South guide you to success." Suicune said.

"And the thunders of the West strike your foes with ferocity." Raikou added.

"Wow, do you always encourage people like this? Cause it's really effective." Fletchinder asked.

The two Pokemon looked at each other for a moment, a rather cheeky smirk on their face.

"No, we only thought of those lines just now." Suicune said.

"But hey, if it that gave you courage, I'm glad to hear it!" Raikou said as the two Legendary Beasts began laughing at their own unintentionally amazing one-liner. The four Pokemon simply stood there with their jaws hanging open, bewildered of the two's personalities.

 _And here I thought Entei was a real pushover..._ Ian said to himself. Before he could speak up a one-liner of his own, his vision turned white and he suddenly a falling sensation beneath his feet. The mudfish Pokemon assumed this was how teleporting felt like.

 _Serene Village, we're coming home!_

* * *

Nuzleaf stared at the tall metallic grey pillar towering over him, a sense of excitement began filling inside him.

 _Finally, I've found you._

The hive mind had informed him of this discovery two months ago, that the fourth and final AMDRO was on top of Revelation Mountain, the most important piece of the puzzle.

 _The chains that are holding the Master._

Krookodile had informed him about what the Expedition Society was planning to do, the group are planning a defense along with the Legendary Beasts to protect the other AMDRO's, not a hindrance to their plans but nevertheless it would be an annoyance.

 _Ian and Patience would definitely come here, I'm sure of it._

When he persuaded the two children to follow him up Revelation Mountain, he had hoped it would have been a quick and easy finish. The device simply needed recognition of a human presence to disable the AMDRO, specifically the blood of a human. Nuzleaf could easily have gotten some blood from Ian, one way or another, and quickly silenced him and Patience by turning them into stone. No one would be none the wiser. However, the presence of Officer Magnezone and his team was unexpected and he had to back off from his plan due to not having enough strength to handle three Pokemon at once, even if he did had the element of surprise. After two months of waiting, recharging his powers and waiting for the others to destroy the other AMDRO's, he has successfully managed to turn those three into stone. He turned around to look at the three battered and turned to stone officers, Magnezone, Magneton and Magnemite.

"Pitiful." He said, as he began walking back down the mountain, he needed to be there when Ian and Patience arrive, so that they wouldn't suspect a thing.

"A little while, just a little while more before I can finally see her again."


	69. The Not So Warm Reunion

The falling sensation eventually stopped as Ian felt solid ground on his feet once more. He saw Patience in front of him, along with Gadget, Fletchinder and Alakazam. Alakazam had teleporting them on top of a hill just at the outskirts of Serene Village, just along the path that led toward the big tree. The very same path Ian and Nuzleaf walked when he arrived at Serene Village for the first time upon arriving in this world.

 _Wow, this sure brings back memories._ Ian said as he took a moment to enjoy the beautiful scenery that he has not seen in such a long time.

"Feels good to come back to Serene Village after almost being gone for two months. Though it isn't for a good reason..." Patience said, standing next to Ian to enjoy the sight as well.

"Good luck to you all." Alakazam said. "I wish you all the best of luck!" A few seconds later, the psi Pokemon vanished, teleporting back to the Expedition Society to teleport Raikou and Suicune to their respective dungeons.

"So," Gadget said, checking her Expedition Bag and Looplet before continuing on. "where's Revelation Mountain?"

Patience pointed at the many hills and mountain that surround Serene Village the tallest mountain that stood tallest among the others. "There." She said.

Gadget followed the direction of the fire fox's hand and soon noticed the mountain in question, she nodded her head. "Alright, now how do we get there."

"If I recall, we should be able to get there through the gates at the other side of Serene Village." Ian said.

"Wait, then why didn't Alakazam just teleport us there instead of here?" Fletchinder asked.

The three Pokemon simply shrugged in response, unsure as well.

"Either way, lets just get going." Gadget said as she began heading down the path towards Serene Village, The Hydroflames and Fletchinder followed shortly after.

"Hey, I just realized something." Patience whispered to Ian.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we'll see everyone again? Deerling and the others? Mr Nuzleaf? ...Pops? You would think after not seeing us for a few months they would crowd on us to ask how we are."

"I suppose you're right." Ian replied. "While I would love to see them again, we still got a mission. Let's try to move quickly and discretely and hope no one sees us."

The fire fox Pokemon gave a confused look to her partner. "You think it'll be that easy? We stick out like a fire type in a group of water types!"

The mudfish Pokemon shrugged. "Hey, I never said it was easy. Just saying that it's possible."

Patience sighed. "Let's hope you're right."

"Only one way to find out."

* * *

Mawile cupped her hands together and placed it over her mouth, exhaling a breath of air to keep her hands warm. She stood over a cliff side that overlooked Frosty Forest, the cliff that laid to Suicune's domain.

 _What a view..._

Although the sun shined brightly over them, just well past noon. The dense, white forest remained an almost barren land, the ice not giving in to the warmth of the sun and melting. The land below almost seemed like a mirror, reflecting light of the ground and giving it a magnificent glowed, further enhancing its tragic beauty.

 _Such a shame, this was once a beautiful lush forest, until the endless winter came..._ Mawile shook her head. The deceiver Pokemon had once read about the history of Frosty Forest and its neighboring mountain, Mt Freeze. About a thousand years ago, Frosty Forest was the largest forest in terms of land in the world. Many Pokemon lived there and it was a thriving community, with many Pokemon from all over the world visiting the forest for its fresh water and the large berries grown here due to its perfect ecosystem. The forest had a name: The Forest of Life. The nearby mountain, Mt Rebirth was an even bigger attraction than the forest. Legends passed down from ancestors to decedents say that the mountain held mysterious powers deep inside, a chamber of steel, filled with a liquid of bright green said to be able to revive anyone who have passed on.

 _Guess that's how it got its name_.

That was the main reason why many Pokemon travelled to the mountain, Pokemon with loved ones who have died wanting them to live once more, 'rebirth' as the locals called it. There was even a group of Pokemon that are said to guard the sacred 'rebirth chamber': The Resurrectors. Now, due to drastic changes in the weather because of natural occurance, this forest is nothing more than a barren wasteland.

"Mawile, aren't you coming in?"

Mawile's thoughts were interrupted when Faith came up next to her to admire the view of the forest below. Even though she was an ice type, the Expedition Society doctor had pulled up her purple scarf over her mouth to keep her face warm.

"Yeah... just give me a minute." She replied, as she turned back to face the cliffside. "Why do you need to cover yourself if you're an ice type?"

Faith turned to the deceiver Pokemon, eyes slightly raised. "Ice types can also suffer from hypothermia too you know." She said. "Just the same as how not all fire types can go swimming in lava."

"Right... my apologies." Mawile apologized softly.

"It's alright."

The two continued staring out at the barren Frosty Forest below for some time, enjoying the view and the experience of going to somewhere cold when Lively Town is in the middle of summer, it was a refreshing change. Eventually, Mawile decided to break the silence by asking a question.

"Where did you even get that scarf anyway?" She asked.

The question took her by surprise, she had not expected for Mawile of all Pokemon to be asking that. "...Ian gave it to me, back when we first encountered Entei on the Air Continent." She eventually replied.

"I see..." Mawile figured as much, she has seen the doctor wearing the Frost Scarf for quite some time now but never really had the chance to ask about it. For some reason she had suspected that Ian was the one who had given it to her, after noticing how close their intimacy was when she overheard the two talking in the Mess Hall late at night, it seemed that her hunch was right after all. "You two seem pretty close."

Faith quickly turned her head in response to Mawile's sudden remark. She tried saying something but no words came out of her mouth, Mawile noticed her face was turning slight shade of red.

 _She's blushing, looks like I've hit the mark._

"Last night, when I sent Ian out to find you, you came back carrying a sleeping Mudkip instead. You seem rather comfortable with carrying him all the way back." Mawile continued.

"W-well I-I mean he was asleep after all a-and I didn't feel like waking him up! S-so I decided to carry him back! Wow, is it getting hot in here or something?" Faith stuttered, even though it was freezing cold, Faith began sweating as her face turned to a bright Tamato Berry red. The fresh snow Pokemon pulled down her scarf from her mouth and began wiping her sweat.

Mawile finally decided to ask the question, the important question that would settle a question that has plagued her mind for quite some time no matter the answer. "Do you have feelings for Ian?"

Faith, after hearing the question, let out a huge sigh, condensation coming out of her mouth. She had finally given in and felt like there was no point denying it. "...Yes, I do." She replied.

"I see." Mawile said, she had figured as much. All the signs pointed to Ian and Faith being more than just colleagues when the two returned from the Air Continent, the occasional glimpses of the two walking down the corridor teasing and laughing at each others jokes, the two hanging out by themselves in the Crew Room, and Ian's constant visits to the Infirmary despite not being sick or injured.

 _I'm sure the other members would have noticed it by now as well._

"You're probably going to ask why I like him don't you?" Faith asked, to which Mawile nodded. As much as she didn't feel like prying into a colleague of hers personal life, the girlish part of her wanted to know more about a cute romantic couple in the group, it's the first time she's seen this happen among the Expedition Society members.

 _Well... unless you count me and him._

"Where do I even begin...?" Faith said, as she began twirling her blue head dangles. "Well first off, Ian is really nice, I find his snarky personality really funny and charming, and..." The fresh snow Pokemon frowned, as she looked down at her snow covered feet, the mood suddenly shifting to a much somber tone. "...and I feel like he's the first Pokemon in such a long time who truly cares about me..."

Faith began explaining her entire past to Mawile, the second Pokemon she's opened up to regarding her time before joining the Expedition Society. From Team Reviver disbanding, to her best friend Bayleaf facing a gruesome demise. The events of that freak accident still haunts her till this day and is the cause of her rather serious case of PTSD and a complete phobia of fire.

"I...I'm so sorry to hear that." Mawile apologized, feeling guilty over her ignorance of prying into Faith life and unintentionally bringing back emotional memories for her.

"It's fine." Faith reassured. "I've learnt to cope with it after awhile, and besides..." She turned and gave Mawile a toothy smile, her iconic smile that she always gives to others to cheer them up, despite being emotionally broken herself. "...I have Ian to lean on for support!"

 _The saddest ones really do smile the brightest._ Mawile said to herself as she couldn't help but smile at Faith's strong will, caring for others first before herself, she was a true doctor. The deceiver Pokemon somewhat envied her falling into an intimate relationship with someone she cares for, how the two would make a great pair simply by their actions alone and not words. She began feeling a strange sensation in her chest, an aching pain that ached harder by the second.

"Mawile, are you... crying?"

It was only then that Mawile realized there were tears rolling down her face, an embarrassing sight considering the other members look up to her, crying in front of her subordinates seemed like a shameful thing to do.

 _Damnit... bury that memory Mawile! You're never getting together with him again! Get over it!_ She wanted to, she really really wanted to forget, but she's constantly reminded of her first and only love, the one she generally still has minor feelings for but is unable to do anything about because of unfortunate circumstances in the past.

 _Ampharos... Volt._

She shook those sad thoughts out of her head as she turned away from Faith to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm fine..." She said. "Was just reminded of some bad memories, that's all."

The fresh snow Pokemon nodded. "I understand, I won't ask about it."

"Thank you... and sorry about prying into yours."

Faith walked up to the Expedition Society second in command and gave her a hug, which took the deceiver Pokemon by surprise.

"Just remember, we're all one big family, we'll be there for each other, no matter the problem." Faith said, which left Mawile speechless as she awkwardly remain still.

"There you are, I was wondering where the two of you have we- ...Am I interrupting something?"

The two released their hold on each other as they turn to see Ampharos, walking out of the cave entrance.

"No... it's nothing Chief." Mawile replied.

"You sure? Your eyes look red."

"Just caught some dust in my eye, nothing worry about."

The lighthouse Pokemon gave a look of suspicion at that reason, but eventually shrugged it off. "Let's get going then, Suicune wants to show us the location of the artifact."

The two nodded as Ampharos turned around and began walking back into the cave, Faith followed shortly after. She turned to Mawile for a brief moment and gave a wink at her. The deceiver Pokemon smiled at that rather minor but meaningful act, as she followed after the two, they still had a mission to do.

 _Everything will be alright Jaws, you have your friends, and they have you too._

* * *

"Have you tried pulling the door open?" Archen asked.

"I've lived here all my life, I know how my door works! It just needs a little force." Raikou replied as he pushed hard on the door once more, but to no avail. Raikou had somehow managed to lock himself out of his own house and he doesn't know where the key is.

The first bird Pokemon sighed in frustration as he looked at Bunnelby and Swirlix, who simply shrugged.

This is just ridiculous...

Archen left the thunder Pokemon to continue struggling to get his house door open as he joined the other two Expedition Society members who sat at the edge of the rock face to admire the view of the island below.

"So much for getting things done." Archen mumbled.

"Well, look on the bright side, at least we get to enjoy the fresh up here." Bunnelby said.

"This would make for a great picnic spot! And speaking of food, I'm getting a little hungry." Swirlix commented.

As if on cue, the three Pokemons stomach began to growl, which the three simply chuckle in embarrassment.

"You know for once, I actually agree with you Swirlix." Archen said. "Lunch?"

"Lunch." Bunnelby and Swirlix both said.

To be more precise, it would technically be brunch, considering the fact that the sun was still hanging just over the horizon to the east due to time being a few hours back in the Sand Continent compared to the Water Continent. But since they teleported here instantly from Lively Town, their bodies haven't exactly matched with the local time just yet. The three took out some apples and berries and began munching on them as they sat down to enjoy the beautiful sunrise over the Isle Of Light. The rays of light slowly enveloping the darkness that was night with a bright blue sky to signify the start of a new day. The three sat in silence for awhile, quietly munching on their food as Raikou continuously cursed at his door for being unresponsive and not opening.

"So... anything you guys want to talk about?" Archen asked awkwardly, wanting to do something to pass the time.

"Not really." Bunnelby replied as he finished up his apple.

"I do," Swirlix said, as the other two members turned to the Expedition Society stewardess to hear what she has to say. "what do you think of our newest members?"

"Ian and Patience?" Archen said, as he took an Oran Berry from his bag and took a bite into it. "They're quite the interesting duo that's for sure."

"The calm and rational Ian, and the lively and energetic Patience." Bunnelby said. "As fitting of a pair it can get."

"Though... there has been something that's been bothering for quite awhile now." Swirlix said. The two members turned to the cotton candy Pokemon, curious with what she had to say. "How close are Ian and Patience anyway? They say that they're just friends, but sometimes I get a different interpretation from the way they act around each other."

Archen and Bunnelby pondered on that for a moment, the more they thought about it, the more it seemed pretty clear their interactions were more than just "friends", the way the two always playfully nudged each other, the matching scarves, Ian always acting snarky towards the fire fox Pokemon while she simply retorted back with an even snakier remark. The two seemed really close, as if they were meant to be with each other.

"Although I honestly don't think the two really have feelings for each other, despite their relatively close bond." Archen said. "Their relationship seems platonic more than anything."

"If you ask me, Ian and Patience act more like siblings." Bunnelby added.

"Brother and sister huh?" Swirlix nodded in agreement. "Seems fitting enough."

Just then, the three heard a loud bang come from behind them, which caught them off guard and nearly made them fall from the cliff, they turned around to the source of the noise and saw Raikou with the door to his house laying on the floor, facing the interior.

"What the heck did you do?!" Archen asked, running up to the thunder Pokemon.

"I decided to kick my door down since this was getting us nowhere, don't worry, I'll find someone to fix it some other time." Raikou said as he waved the the three members into his house. As he entered his house, Raikou noticed something glistening on the ground, his face immediately brightened up as he grab the object from the ground and showed it to Archen and the others. "There's my key! Turns out it was in my house the whole time!" Raikou let out a dry laugh, to which the three Expedition Society members simply stared at the Legendary Beast in bewilderment.

"What a dork..." Archen muttered to the other two, to which they simply nodded in agreement.

* * *

"So uh... how goes things?" Buizel asked.

"Things have been difficult ever since Master Entei was turned to stone," Houndoom replied. "the Pokemon living on this island grow weary of our ability to protect the island day by day."

"Oooookay, I would have preferred a 'I'm fine, thank you for asking' but that's just me." Buizel said.

"How are your wounds, Buizel?"

The sea weasel Pokemon was confused for a moment before realizing what Houndoom meant, the Solar Beam he had took to the face while protecting Patience.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Buizel answered.

"You risked your life to protect your female friend, that is very noble of you."

"...thanks? I guess."

Buizel took a moment to look around the room he was in. Entei's house was a rather spacious one, he never got the chance to actually see the house completely the last time he was here because of being too injured to explore. Now that he's here again, the sea weasel had to admit that Entei had taste when it comes to his house. Soft carpets and many paintings hung all over his house, it was rather luxurious for a cave inside a volcano.

 _Makes my room back at the Expedition Society look like a small bush hut._

Buizel moved his gaze to Jirachi and Dedenne, who were making conversation with Magmortar, albeit rather awkwardly.

"Don't you have any hobbies?" Jirachi asked.

"No." Magmortar replied.

"Don't you read books? Make leaf bags? Anything?"

"I don't even have HANDS you fool!" The blast Pokemon yelled, slowly losing his nerve.

"Now now you two, there's no reason to fight." Dedenne stepped in between the two, trying to defuse the tense situation.

Magmortar simply scoffed and left the house, Jirachi shrugged and drifted his way towards where Buizel was sitting as Dedenne followed.

"Please forgive Magmortar's rash behavior." Houndoom apologized. "He is not the best when it comes to socializing."

"I can tell." Buizel said.

"May I know where Ian might be?"

Buizel's eyes widened, surprised with Houndoom's knowledge of Ian's name. "H-how do you know his name...?!" He reluctantly asked.

"Ian was kind enough to give me a Sitrus Berry back when we fought two weeks ago." Houndoom explained, the dark Pokemon then smiled. "I never thought I would find a Pokemon so selfless."

"Well... that's Ian for you, always willing to lend a hand." Buizel said.

"When you see him again, do pass a message for me."

"That is?"

"Thanks for the Sitrus Berry."

The sea weasel Pokemon nodded. "I'll make sure he gets it then."

"Thank you." Houndoom said.

The four Pokemon sat in silence for awhile, occasionally looking at each other and wondering if they had anything else to say to pass the time. Buizel and the others weren't exactly sure when the culprits would come to attack Fire Island Volcano, but until then, all they could do was wait, awkwardly. Dedenne began fiddling with her own tail, Jirachi began humming a tune, Houndoom, who was also beginning to feel the awkwardness of the situation, let out a soft cough.

 _This has got to be the most awkward situation I've ever been in._ Buizel said to himself.

"Sooooo... now what?" Jirachi eventually broke the silence, to which everyone turned their attention over to the wish Pokemon.

"Beats me." Dedenne said.

"I got nothing." Buizel added.

"Ditto." Houndoom said.

Jirachi let out a loud sigh, and decided to float aimlessly out of the room, wanting to find something, anything to keep his mind occupied. Leaving the three Pokemon to themselves.

"Would anyone of you like some tea?" Houndoom asked.

"Yes please!" Buizel and Dedenne both replied in unison. Eager to quench their thirst from the unbearable heat of the volcano.

 _Tea time is good time._ Buizel said to himself.

* * *

"Come on Goomy! You can do it!" Deerling cried.

"I... I can't go on... anymore..." Goomy huffed as his body sank into the ground in exhaustion.

"We've been practicing our moves for hours now, can't we go home already?" Pancham complained, wiping sweat off his head.

"You know how Mr Farfetche'd always gives us exams at the beginning of every school year! And considering how this is the final year before we graduate, I would very much want to prepare this time!" Deerling said.

"Can't we just do it some other day?" Shelmet asked. "This heat is killing me!"

"I agree, the summer heat is taking its toll on everyone." Espurr supported.

The season Pokemon sighed. "Alright then, let's go back home."

"FINALLY!" Pancham yelled, relieved it was finally over, as the rest of the children simply breathed a sigh of relief.

"Same time tomorrow?" Goomy asked.

"Yes," Deerling replied. "same time tomorro-" She cut her sentence short when she noticed figures in the distance approaching where they were at the crossroads leading to the village plaza. She could barely make out any distinctive features, she could only pick out the colours of their body. A tall, bark blue fur Pokemon, a crimson red bird, a smaller light blue Pokemon and an orange Pokemon with rather big ears.

Wait, a Pokemon that is orange and has really big ears. Could it be...?!

"Is that Patience?!" Deerling exclaimed, to which the other children turned to the direction she was facing and spotting the figures slowly approaching.

"Holy Milltank, I think it is!" Pancham exclaimed.

"And Ian too!" Goomy added.

The five children rushed as fast as they could to the two clsssmates whom they have not seen for almost two months. Upon getting closer, they discovered that the dark blue Pokemon was actually in fact Gadget and the bird Pokemon a Fletchinder with a fedora. Before the two partners had time to react to the oncoming stampede of their old classmates, they were overwhelmed by a sudden group hug from the five of them, all piled up on top of each other and crushing the mudfish and fire fox Pokemon.

"So much... for being... subtle." Patience muttered to Ian, suffocating from the group pile.

"At least... we tried...!" Ian replied back.

Gadget and Fletchinder, who stood idly by, shrugged and decided to give the two some space. The two had a lot of catching up to do after all.

"It's so good to see you two again guys!" Deerling exclaimed, eventually getting off Ian and Patience as they took a moment to catch their breath.

"How have you guys been?" Goomy asked.

"We've been doing great!" Patience replied, happy to see her classmates once more. "How've you guis been?"

"Summer has been a rather... productive time." Espurr replied. "Lots of dungeon explorations and helping around the village."

"Ever since Ian took us dungeon exploring that one time, we've been going every now and then to train ourselves!" Pancham said.

"Right that's great and all and I'm glad I inspired you guys." Ian said. "But I have a question that's been bugging me: Is it me or did Deerling change colour?"

Patience and the others looked at each other and began to laugh, which only confused the mudfish Pokemon.

"Oh silly Ian!" Patience remarked. "Don't you know? Deerling changes colour based on the seasons!"

"Right now is summer, so that's why my skin has changed to a dark green shade of green." Deerling explained.

"...Right, sorry about that." Ian apologized.

"Anyway," Deerling cut in. "what are you suddenly back here?" She asked. "I doubt it's because you're on holiday or anything."

Patience shook her head. "Sadly no, we have a very important mission nearby and we need to head there as soon as possible."

"Oooooh! What kind of mission is it? Is it dangerous?" Goomy asked excitedly.

Ian and Patience both turned their heads to Gadget, wondering if they could reveal their intentions to them. The gleam eyes Pokemon shook her head in disapproval. Understandable, given the fact that telling them that a stone turning maniac was on the loose and could potentially be on Revelation Mountain wouldn't be the wisest option unless they wanted widespread panic.

"I'm... afraid I can't tell you that." Patience answered.

"It's not that we don't trust you," Ian added. "it's just that it's pretty serious."

"Oh... well that's okay then, we understand." Deerling said.

"Bummer." Shelmet mumbled.

Fletchinder let out a cough to gain their attention and stood between the two groups. "Apologies for interrupting this warm reunion," He said. "But we REALLY need to be going right now."

"R-right of course." Ian said, scratching his head apologetically. "We'll come back when we have the time alright?"

The five Serene Village children nodded.

"See you some other time guys!" Patience waved goodbye to them as she, Ian, Gadget and Fletchinder ran past them and making their way across the small bridge to the village plaza. The four Pokemon were just about to leave the village when they hear a familiar voice.

"Ian? Patience?"

The two stopped dead in their tracks when they heard that voice, especially Patience, who instantly recognized the old, but not so old voice. She turned around and saw her Pops, Carracosta, holding what seemed like a bag of Oran Berries in one hand.

"Pops?! Pops!" Patience exclaimed, as she ran straight to her foster father's open arms and hugged him. The prototurtle Pokemon dropping the bag he was holding so he could hug Patience tightly.

"Blimey..." Fletchinder mumbled, the only one who was slowly getting annoyed at the constant interruptions. Ian and Gadget simply shrugged, not wanting to ruin a family moment for Patience. Although, Ian seemed to have noticed something off about Carracosta's appearance, he looked slightly darker, a shade of purple pasted parts of his body and shell. His body seem frailer as well.

"My child, how have you been?" Carracosta asked, stroking Patience's head.

"It's been challenging, but I somehow still pull through all the time." The fire fox's muffled voice said as she buried her head into Carracosta's shell. "I have Ian with me after all."

Carracosta looked up from Patience and at Ian, who was standing nearby, he let go of Patience and walked towards him. "Thank you Ian, for taking care of Patience."

The mudfish Pokemon, flustered, scratched his face nervously. "Someone's got to look after her, I've lost track of the amount of times Pae just runs straight into danger and I have to save her skin."

Carracosta laughed, "Is that so? You even have a nickname for her, that's cute."

"Come on Pops! Not you too!" Patience exclaimed, pouting in frustration at the embarrassing nickname. The two water types simply chuckled in amusement.

"SOMEONE, ANYONE! HELP ME!"

Everyone turned their heads to the direction of the voice which was from the archway path leading out of Serene Village. A few seconds later, another familiar Pokemon came running towards the village in a frenzied state, a brown Pokemon with a leaf on its head.

"Nuzleaf?!" Ian exclaimed.

Nuzleaf broke his pace when he caught sight of the mudfish Pokemon. "Ian! Oh thank Arceus you're a sight for sore eyes! Quickly! I need some help!"

"W-what's going on?!" Ian asked.

"R-Revelation Mountain!" Nuzleaf stuttered. "The Pokemons there have been turned into stone!"

"WHAAAAAAT?!" The entire group exclaimed, shocked with what they had just heard.

"How many casualties?!" Gadget asked.

"I-I counted about twenty Pokemon turned to stone just at the base of the mountain alone!" The wily Pokemon.

Fletchinder cursed. "We're too late!"

"If we head there now we can still catch up to the culprits!" Patience said, to which everyone else nodded in agreement.

"I'll go with you, I know the mountain like the back of my hand thanks to constantly having to guard it." Nuzleaf said.

"...Fine, but stay behind us. We'll protect you." Gadget said.

"Don't worry, I know how to handle myself."

With everything settled, the five Pokemon broke into a dash and made their way to Revelation Mountain, before Ian could catch up with the others, he felt a hand pulling him from behind, it was Carracosta who had stop him.

"Wait!" He called out. "There's something I must tell you about."

"Can't this wait Mr Carracosta?" Ian unintentionally snapped. "Lives are at stake here!"

"I know I know!" Carracosta frustratingly exclaimed. "It's just... these past two months, something's happened that I can't bear to inform Patience about."

The mudfish Pokemon's expression changed, a curious but concerned look on his face now. "W-what are you talking about...?" Ian asked worryingly.

"Y-you see... I'm ill."

A sudden chill went up Ian's spine and he felt as if his heart took a free fall dive into an abyss. "W-what do you mean? Are you alright?!" He asked.

The prototurtle Pokemon shook his head. "I'm sure you've noticed it too haven't you? The dark purple spots on parts of my body? I started noticing it about a month ago, my body felt incredibly weak at times, I get disoriented at times and the strangest one being that I once vomited strange purplish fluid."

"What...?!"

"Audino doesn't know what's causing it. She says it's not a disease she's ever seen before. All her attempts at finding a cure have failed."

"S-so..." Ian stuttered. He wanted to ask the most important question, the question that he didn't want to ask out of fear of the answer he might get but he just had to know. "a-are you dying?"

"I prayed every single day hoping that wasn't the case, but with each passing day, that hope starts disappearing."

Ian simply stood silent, the burden on his back getting heavier and heavier by the second. How was he going to break this to Patience when the time comes? Telling her now just seemed like a bad idea, but keeping it to himself made him feel just as guilty.

"Listen here Ian," Carracosta said as he placed his hands on the mudfish Pokemon's small shoulders. "I fear that my time will be up soon."

"T-there has to be a cure... something, anything! If you die then... then..." Ian looked down in distraught."...Patience would be left all alone, without a parent by her side..."

"But she has you."

Ian's eyes widened at the prototurtle Pokemon's response. "I-I don't understand-"

"I'm confident that over the past two months, you and Patience have grown closer through the adventures you have had. The nickname you gave to her is an example." Carracosta began coughing and wheezing profusely as he almost lost his grip on Ian, a clear sign of his degrading health. "At this point I feel like she considers you the next closest thing to a family. She'll look to you when she feels lost, and it's your job to carry her through her tough times."

"...I understand." Ian eventually said. "I just hope that it doesn't have to come to that."

Carracosta let out a dry laugh as he released his grip on the mudfish Pokemon. "Me too son, me too. Now go, you have a job to do."

Ian nodded as he ran off as fast as he could out of the village to catch up with the others, leaving the prototurtle Pokemon alone once more. He went over to his bag of Oran Berries and picked it up.

 _Fire and water may be an odd pair._ He said to himself. _But those two... they're inseparable._


	70. Et tu, Nuzleaf

"...Was this part of the plan Suicune?" Ampharos asked.

"No, this was definitely not."

Ampharos, Mawile, Faith and Suicune stared at what was hundreds if not thousands of ice shards sticking out from the walls of the cyan blue chamber. At the center, was a slick, metallic grey pillar, glowing a faint blue in the middle of all the sharp ice.

 _The AMDRO was protected under thick layers of ice._ Ampharos said to himself. The lighthouse Pokemon reached out his arm to touch one of the sharp ends of the ice shards and instantly regrets it the moment his skin came into contact with it, he felt a sharp pain as he immediately pulled back his hand. There was no way they could get through this ice.

"Someone's definitely been here." Suicune said.

"What makes you so sure?" Mawile asked.

"These ice shards are my security measure for protecting the artifact." Suicune explained, as she paced back and fourth around the entrance of the room. "It works on proximity sensor."

"Proximity sensor?" Faith asked.

"When an unauthorized Pokemon enters or is near this room, the security measure activates." Suicune explained. "...However given this is the first time this has ever happened, I have no idea how to deactivate it."

"Well that's just flipping fantastic." Ampharos retorted.

"But that's a good thing isn't it?" The Expedition Society doctor commented. "That means no one can destroy it now."

"Yeah, but I'm more worried about the shards accidentally destroying the artifact if they fall down on top of it." The aurora Pokemon said. "Now the problem is clearing the shards."

Mawile took a few steps closer to one of the shards and began knocking on it to test the thickness of it. It was then she realized that the single knock she made had caused a minor crack in the ice, taking the deceiver Pokemon by surprise.

 _Wait... how the heck did I-_

She lifted her hand and examined the Looplet strapped around her wrist, looking at the dark purple Emera, light glistening from the ice shards onto it.

"So that's what you do huh..." Mawile whispered to herself.

"What was that Mawile?" Ampharos asked his second in command.

"Stand back!" She yelled. "I'm going to try something really risky!"

"And what might that be?"

"Probably the stupidest idea I'll ever think of."

As Ampharos and the others took a few steps back as told, Mawile looked at her hands once more and gripped them tightly, her knuckles facing the ice.

 _Hope this doesn't break my arm._

The deceiver Pokemon took a deep breath, and in a blink of an eye, sprung into action. She dashed forward and gave the ice shard block the entrance the hardest punch she could muster. When she made contact with the ice, she felt her hand pushing through the hard ice, eventually shattering into countless pieces and scattering all over the floor. She lunged forward again, breaking the other shards in quick succession. With each punch Mawile felt a sharp pain on her knuckles, as well as the coldness of the ice, but she kept pressing on, not stopping until the job was done.

 _But was the really the reason? You seem to be hitting harder and harder with each one._

She began noticing it as well, even with the sharp pain, she continued punching and punching, gritting her teeth as she did so, as if she had something eating away inside that she wanted to vent out her frustrations on.

 _"Shut up..."_ She said to herself.

 _What's upsetting you? Work? Stress? Or is it..._ him?

 _"Shut up shut up SHUT UP!"_

The deceiver Pokemon punched the final shard, breaking it as she stood there motionless in the room, breathing heavily. Ampharos and the others had watched in awe at Mawile's fast but deadly punches that somehow managed to clear the room of all the ice shards.

"Looks like I'll have to find another security measure then." Suicune said as the three walked up to Mawile to check on Mawile. As they approached her, they began to notice small hints of red on her knuckles before soon realizing that they were bleeding, presumably from all the ice scraping at her skin.

"Mawile! Y-your arms!" Faith called out, which snapped the deceiver Pokemon from her trance as she soon noticed the blood on her hands as well, eyes widening in surprise. The fresh snow Pokemon quickly opened up her bag and took out some Oran Berries and bandages. "Here, eat these."

Mawile nodded as she nonchalantly took the berries and chugged them into her mouth. Faith was about to unroll the bandage when Ampharos stopped her and took the bandage from her. "Let me do it." He said, the Glaceon simply shrugged as she handed over the bandage to the Expedition Society chief. The lighthouse Pokemon then grabbed his second in commands hand and began examining, catching her by surprise.

"W-what are you doing...?!" She asked.

"Bandaging does hands of yours." Ampharos said as he began wrapping the bandage around her knuckles. "You really shouldn't have done that."

Mawile simply remained silent as she stared wide eyed at Ampharos. The gentle smile he wore as their hands touched, she began feeling Butterfree's in her stomach. She stared dreamingly into his ebony black eyes, a memory came flooding back to her as she continued staring.

* * *

 _"Do you... have feelings for me?" Jaws asked._

 _"Ever since that faithful day." Volt responded._

* * *

"Does it hurt?" Ampharos asked.

Mawile's trip down memory lane was cut short as she saw the lighthouse Pokemon finishing wrapping her other hand. Passing the bandage roll back to Faith. Ampharos gripped her hands as he made sure the bandages were wrapped tight as the white bandages slowly turned dark red as it began absorbing her blood. Mawile felt her heart beat relentlessly as she felt the soft hands of Ampharos, something that she has never felt for so many years.

"Um... are you... sweating?" Suicune asked.

It was only now that she had noticed that drips of sweat were in fact dripping off her face. "U-um it's just the humidity that's all." She blatantly lied, which no one believed.

"It's literally freezing in here!" Suicune snapped back.

Mawile simply covered her face in embarrassment of her unprofessionalism thanks to her fantasizing over a relationship with her boss. She looked over at Faith as she subtlety smirk and gave her a wink.

 _This is NOT an example I wish to show..._

Her thoughts were cut shot as a sudden loud explosion echoed and shook the entire room, a few seconds later, the ceiling of the chamber broke open as pieces of ice came raining down, the four Pokemon cowered back through the corridor for cover, watching as the ice miraculously avoids hitting the artifact. Soon, a large figure dropped into the room, the figure was almost as tall as Ampharos, spouted large fangs, and had eyes that had empty purple irises.

"So," Granbull said. "which one of you do I have to crush today?"

* * *

Archen was interrupted from his short nap when he heard the door knocking, Bunnelby and Swirlix too, waking up abruptly as well.

"Now who might that be?" Raikou asked as he went towards the door he had sloppily put back up with some Frogadier frubbles he strangely had laying around for some reason. He opened the door and was greeted to the sight of three small brownish Pokemon floating idly by in front of him. They had strange, angular heads, green eyes, four dots scattered evenly across their bodies, and red, green and yellow fingers on its hands.

"Who's that...?" Archen groggily mumbled as he got off from Raikou's couch, scratching his eyes with his wings.

"Wait wait, let me guess." Raikou said as he closed his eyes in contemplation. "You're small, so I assume you must be kids, are you trying to sell me cookies? If so, I humbly decline your offer, since the last time someone tried selling me cookies, I had a bad tummy for days, never again."

The three visitors remained silent.

"No? Well... you're floating so you must be psychic types, in that case are you those Helix Witnesses? For the last time, I don't want to hear about it! I only believe in my boy Zekrom."

Still silent.

"Or... maybe you're just average solicitors, trying to sell me something. Well spit it out, what's it you're selling? Items? Books? Hopefully not books, I'm still not done with that Shinx and Vulpix one."

The three Pokemon turned to each other their fingers began blinking, as if they were communicating with those lights. The eventually turned back to the lightning Pokemon.

"Well, I don't have time to deal with you three, I have a very important task that I must accomplish and you all would just get in the way." Raikou stepped outside wanting to shoo the three strange Pokemon away when suddenly one of the Pokemon's hand began glowing a dark, purple aura. Their eyes went from lime green to dark purple.

"Oooh shiny!" Raikou exclaimed, always a sucker for fancy magic tricks. "Are you perhaps magicians?"

The Pokemon extended his arm towards Raikou's grinning face as a loud 'whoosh' noise was heard as the beam hit the lightning Pokemon straight in the face, turning his bright yellow fur into a dull, grey colour. His frozen body falling to its side and laying motionless.

Raikou had been turned into stone, right in front of the Expedition Society members eyes.

"WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG!" The three Beheeyems exclaimed in unison.

"OH SHIT!" Archen exclaimed as he quickly sprang into action by shutting the door and blocking it with his body. A few seconds later loud banging could be heard from outside as he felt the door pushing against him, the three Pokemon were trying to break in. "Swirlix! Push that couch towards the door! Don't let them in!"

"Aye aye!" The cotton candy Pokemon replied as she hastily pushed the couch they had been napping on towards the door, making a barrier of sorts.

"Bunnelby! Bury this door in dirt!"

"Got it." Bunnelby acknowledged as he got on all fours and began throwing dirt at the door with his ears Archen moved aside. The dirt eventually piled up and only a mountain of dirt covered where the door used to be. Eventually, the thumping stopped and after a few minutes of anticipating the three Pokemon blowing a hole right through their barrier, Archen let out a sigh of momentary relief.

"That was too close." Archen said as he and the others regrouped.

"Is that them?! The culprits?!" Bunnelby asked.

"No doubt about it, it's them." Archen replied as he slung his bag over his shoulder and tossing the other bags over to Swirlix and Bunnelby.

"What are we going to do?! We can't call for help and we're trapped in here!" Swirlix said.

Archen tossed the two's Looplets over to them as he strapped his Looplet over his left wing. "We stand our ground, hold the line and protect the artifact at all costs."

Bunnelby and Swirlix nodded and returned a determined look on their faces, as they strapped their Looplets as well.

"What's the plan?" Swirlix asked, as a loud bang rocked the room they were in. The culprits weren't giving up on breaking into the place.

 _Hopefully Raikou didn't choose to live in a place with paper thin walls._ Archen said to himself.

"We should bunker ourselves in the artifact chamber." The first bird Pokemon suggested as he walked up towards what was supposedly a plain stone wall. He pushed part of the wall inwards like how Raikou did earlier and heard a click from within, a few seconds later the wall shifted out to reveal a hidden passageway.

"You sure about this?" Bunnelby asked, a concerned look on his face. "That chamber has barely enough room for us to battle in!"

The three entered the passageway as Archen pushed back the button as the stone wall closed back. "We won't be battling with strength. We're going to fight them on our terms, with our wits."

* * *

Buizel's intriguing discussion with Houndoom over tea regarding the philosophies of mystery dungeons was interrupted when he heard an explosion.

"What's going on out there?!" Dedenne exclaimed as her cup of tea nearly spilled all over her from the shockwave of that explosion.

"They've come." Houndoom muttered as he finished the last drops of his tea before exiting the cave to see what was going on. Buizel and Dedenne followed soon. The three saw smoke rising from the open path ahead that lead to the cave.

"Where's Jirachi?!" Buizel asked.

"Let me try contacting him, bring out your Expedition Gadget!" Dedenne ordered, to which the sea weasel immediately complied as he reached into his bag and removed the Expedition Gadget, he pressed a button and the device lit up. Dedenne cheeks sparked to life as the electricity hit Buizel's Expedition Gadget and the sparks flying off to Jirachi's Gadget, somewhere further up ahead.

 _CONNECTING... CONNECTING..._

"Damnit why isn't he picking up?!" Buizel impatiently exclaimed.

Then as if on cue, the screen changed to display the words ' _CONNECTED'_ and soon he began to hear panting noises coming out from the Expedition Gadget, followed soon by the distant sounds of an attack being used.

"Jirachi! Can you hear me?" Buizel yelled into the Expedition Gadgetx some static buzzed through the device. "What's going on over there?!"

"...cul-...here!...out of here!" The distorted voice of Jirachi came through.

"You're breaking up! Repeat what you said!" Buizel said, but there was nothing but static. The sea weasel cursed as he turned off his Expedition Gadget and placed back into his bag. "Let's move, Jirachi is in trouble!"

Houndoom and Dedenne nodded as they broke into a dash to the open path up ahead. Buizel leading the group.

When the three finally reached the wide path that Buizel recalled battling Entei at, they were greeted to a shocking sight. Laying no more than a few centimeters ahead of them, laid a small, motionless figure on the ground. Dedenne gasped as she soon realized what it was, the realization soon hitting Buizel and Houndoom as well.

It was Jirachi, who was now nothing more than stone now.

"Jirachi! NOOOOOO!" Buizel screamed as he rushed over to the wish Pokemon's stone remains. Jirachi's eyes were wide opened, despite being turned to stone, as if his body was frozen in time the very moment whatever attack that turned him made contact. He placed his hands over Jirachi's remains, burying his face in them in silent sorrow.

"Damnit..." Dedenne muttered in anger as she balled up her tiny fists in anger, furious with the lost of not only a colleague, but a friend.

"I-I'm... sorry for your loss..." Houndoom mournfully said as he bowed his head down in respect.

Just then, the three heard a maniacal laugh from a distance, which immediately causes them to jump into their battle stances, prepared for whatever was coming their way.

"I come here expecting a challenge and this was all I got?" A deep male voice said, as he got closer to Buizel and their others. A white, circular and bulky Pokemon tumbled towards them, his face covered by the darkness of his round shell. Only the dark purple eyes of the Pokemon could be seen.

"Who are you?!" Buizel asked, no, demanded the unknown Pokemon.

"Heheheh, Shelgon's the name, and could we get this over and done with? I have an ancient device that needs to be destroyed."

"We can NOT let him touch the artifact!" Houndoom exclaimed.

Shelgon shrugged. "Oh what the heck, I'll just take the easy way out."

The endurance Pokemon shift into position, as he began charging up an attack, a purple coloured energy, the same colour as his eyes, a few seconds later he fired the attack, launching it straight towards Buizel and the others. The sea weasel Pokemon, knowing full well that there wasn't enough time to evade, jumped in front of Dedenne and covered her with his hands, Houndoom bracing himself as well.

 _This is gonna hurt..._ Buizel said to himself as he braced himself for the inevitable pain. Suddenly he heard the sound of what he could only described as glass breaking as a gust of wind blew past him shortly after. As he slowly opened his eyes again, he was greeted to the sight of something transparent glowing around the three of them, a dome like field was covering them. A few seconds later, the dome field shattered, and disappeared in a blink of an eye.

"What was that...?!" He muttered to himself in bewilderment.

"Whatever it was... it protected us from that attack." Houndoom said, as the others turned to look at Shelgon, whose eyes were widened in surprise at what he had just witnessed.

"I see... Kancium wielders huh?" He said. "Explains Krookodile's incompetence then."

"We're not letting you through without a fight! That much is sure!" Dedenne yelled as she got out of Buizel's grasp at got in front of them.

"Tough words coming from you, little mouse." Shelton taunted.

The antennae Pokemon's eyes twitched uncontrollably at that personal insult. "T-tiny? TINY?! I'll show you what this mouse can do you son of a-!"

"Get a hold of yourself!" Houndoom barked, which silenced Dedenne as she finally calmed herself down. "He's trying to get in your head and let your guard down."

"R-right... gotcha."

"Are you three done squabbling among yourselves?" Shelgon asked, tapping one of his legs impatiently. "I got a job to do and YOU are in my way."

Buizel, Dedenne and Houndoom all readied themselves as Shelgon prepared another attack, their hearts beating faster than ever when they realized what this Pokemon could do. Buizel was willing to bet that the attack he had been protecting from was the attack that turned Jirachi, and many others into stone. They got lucky, but they won't be a third time.

 _Patience, wherever you are, stay safe out there._ He muttered to himself, before yelling at the top of his lungs while charging to signal the time to attack, and soon his was mind was nothing but a blur.

* * *

Ian winced at the sight of yet another stoned Pokemon, this time it was a wild Pidove. Judging from the position of its body and wings, it looked like it was fleeing from whoever was chasing after it. Unfortunately, it didn't stand a chance.

 _Seventeen, that's seventeen Pokemon that has been turned to stone._ Ian said to himself, the mudfish Pokemon gave one final remorseful look at the Pidove, before joining up with Patience and the others.

"Let's get moving." Gadget said. "We're almost at the summit."

Ian and the others nodded and continued their trek up the mountain. After a few minutes of walking, Ian noticed that Patience was lagging behind. The mudfish Pokemon slowed his pace to check on his partner.

"You alright Pae?" Ian asked.

"I...can't...breathe properly..." Patience panted, breathing rather erratically.

Ian was about to ask why she was acting that way when he realized that they were up on a very high mountain, air gets thinner the higher they climbed. The mudfish Pokemon decided to rub the fire fox Pokemon's back, hoping it would help with her breathing. "Better?"

Patience gave her partner a weary smile and let out a slight giggle of amusement. "Not really, but hey I always feel better when I'm with you."

"Attagirl." Ian praised, as he stopped rubbing the fire fox Pokemon and the two began catching back up with the group, continuing on their way.

As the group slowly made their way up the mountain, Ian's mind wandered off, thinking about what Carracosta had told him not so long ago.

 _"You see, I'm ill."_

Just those four words turned his mood sour. Carracosta, Patience's foster father, and all around nice guy, was dying from a mysterious illness that had no cure. Every time he thought about it, it tore him slightly inside. Patience, who was blissfully ignorant of the whole thing, was going to find out the truth sooner or later. The only question was: Will he be the one to break it to her first before it's too late? Ian knew that he had to have a personal talk with her and break it to her sooner or later, but now just wasn't the time, they had an important mission to do. But he hated keeping secrets, especially Patience, his closest friend, someone he trusted with his life. Keeping a secret like this felt like a betrayal of trust. How would Patience react if he failed to inform her in time? What will she think of him then?

"Iannnnnn." Patience called, snapping the mudfish Pokemon from his daydream. "What's the matter with you? You just suddenly slowed down like that."

The Mudkip shook his head. "I'm fine."

The fire fox Pokemon raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Not buying her partner's excuse. "What's wrong? Your mood changed drastically ever since we started climbing up."

Ian kept quiet, Patience saw right through his lie. He let out a sigh, he couldn't keep it to himself any longer, he was going to tell her.

"Patience, there's something I need to tell you, it's about Carra-"

"Hey! I think I see the summit!" Fletchinder yelled from a distance.

The two looked ahead and noticed the path was no longer inclined, but was a flat surface instead. They had reached finally reached the summit of Revelation Mountain.

"You can tell me about this later, let go!" Patience said as she ran ahead of Ian, leaving him to himself.

 _Is this a sign?_ Ian wondered as he picked up the pace to catch up with the others. _Is this a sign telling me that it isn't the time to tell her?_

The mudfish Pokemon shoved those thoughts and questions to the deepest part of his mind, he can worry about that later, right now he had more important matters. The summit of Revelation Mountain, the thought about what was up on this very sacred mountain both excite and scare him. But there was no point wondering what laid at the top of the mountain, time to find out the answer for himself.

* * *

"Dear Arceus..." Fletchinder muttered.

The rest of the group were just as speechless with the spectacular, yet frightening sight that laid in from of them. A tall, metallic layered pillar towered over them. The pillar emit a rather sinister aura around it, as a dim green light glowed across its smooth structure and disappeared every few seconds.

"T-this was not what I expected to lie at the summit of Revelation Mountain..." Nuzleaf muttered in awe.

"So Suicune was right in her assumption after all, this is the fourth and final artifact." Ian said.

"And there are the last three known casualties." Patience commented as the five Pokemon focused their attention to the base of the pillar. The sight of three familiar Pokemon, turned to stone. Officers Magnezone, Magneton and Magnemite.

"Why were they up here?" Ian wondered, as he cautiously approached the three stone bodies, examining them. Their eyes were wide opened, possibly indicating that they whoever turned them into stone were caught by surprise and were too late to react.

"Attempting to apprehend the culprit?" Gadget brought up. "That could be a possibility."

Ian looked up from the stoned bodies towards the artifact pillar, and noticed a part of the structure that wasn't the same as the others. A small, square portion was almost camouflaged from the amount of dust that covered it. He got up to his feet and walked towards the panel.

"Ian stay back! That thing could be dangerous!" Gadget ordered. But Ian didn't respond, as he continued with what he was doing. The mudfish Pokemon reached out his hand and rubbed off the dust off the strange panel. He was greeted with the reflection of his face greeting him back, which took him by surprise. It was a screen, like the one on his Expedition Gadget A few seconds later, the screen lit up brightly, almost blinding Ian for how such a small thing could emit so much light. Patience, Gadget Nuzleaf and Fletchinder were suddenly taken aback by the sudden reaction from the pillar.

"Sweet mother of- what in tarnation is that thing doing?!" Nuzleaf exclaimed in shock.

"Ian! Get back here! Before that thing does anything funny!" Patience yelled.

Ian, once again, decided not to follow the others advice, his desire to know more was through the roof, whatever questions he had, he felt that the screen held the key to some of it.

 _Pae always did say curiosity killed the Skitty. Guess I should have listened to her._

Ian got up close to the screen, it shined blue and there were now words sprawled across it, like it had appeared out of thin air. For a moment, Ian couldn't understand what it said, for it was in letters he has never seen before.

"Wait a minute..." He said to himself as he further inspected the words on the panel, he realized that he has seen these unfamiliar letters before.

 _System booting up..._

 _Anti Matter Dimensional Rift Opener (AMDRO), property of the Devon Corporation_ © 2012-2017

 _Welcome user, please place your hand on the screen for verification._

"U-unbelievable!" Ian exclaimed.

"What is it?!" Patience asked reluctantly.

"H-human letters _..._ I see human letters!" He exclaimed.

"What?!" The group exclaimed, surprised with they had just heard.

"Well ain't that a kick in the teeth!" Nuzleaf exclaimed.

"What does it say?!" Gadget asked.

"I-it says something about placing your hand on the screen." Ian replied, still baffled with what he's looking at.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Put your hand on it then!" Nuzleaf said.

The group turned to look at the wily Pokemon in shocked with his suggestion. "What are you, insane?!" Fletchinder responded. "We don't even know what the damn thing does!"

"It's some kind of dimensional rift opener." Ian said. He turned to face the others and they all looked at him in confusion, having no idea what he meant. To be honestly, he had no idea either.

"R-regardless, this thing could blow up this whole mountain for all we know!" Fletchinder continued. "I suggest we don't touch it and just leave it as it is."

Nuzleaf simply shrugged at the journalist's concerns. "If you ask me, I think maybe you could find something helpful. You once being human and all, your hand just might work."

The mudfish Pokemon did see some sense in Nuzleaf's argument. Sure they didn't know what this thing could do and for all he know he could unleash a giant monster if he pressed the wrong button. But like presumably everyone else, its about time they find out what this ancient artifact from human times really is.

"Nothing ventured..." He quietly whispered to himself as he placed his hand on the screen. The screen changed slightly, an outline matched the shape of his hand on screen as the words ' _scanning...'_ appeared on screen. A few seconds felt like hours as the screen began flashing and quickly returned to normal. What he saw on screen made his heart sank.

 _Welcome back, Möbius._

 _It has been 2005 years, 62 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes and 6 seconds since you last checked in._

[ ] _AMDRO Status_

[ ] _Power Output_

[ ] Messages

[ ] Deactivate Barrier

[ ] Log Out

"What the hell...?!" Ian exclaimed.

Patience and the others, realizing that the artifact wasn't as dangerous as they had thought, finally decided to approach Ian, peeking over him to look at the screen.

"Möbius?" Patience repeated the name displayed. "Who's that?"

"You can read this too?" Nuzleaf asked in surprise at the Fennekin's ability to read human words.

"I do, but I'm not sure how or why."

"What does it say?" Gadget asked.

"I-I think it's a bunch of command options. There're a few options here." Ian replied. He decided to press on the first option and the screen changed.

 _AMDRO Exterior Shell: 100%_

 _Rift Generator: Operational_

 _Auxiliary Power: Operational_

Having no clue what any of it meant, Ian swiped back to the previous screen and pressed the second option.

 _That's odd... How did I know to swipe the screen to the right to go back to the other screen?_ Ian wondered. Shrugging it off, he continued reading what was displayed on the screen.

 _ACCESS DENIED_

 _Power output requires level 5 security clearance. Please contact the administrator for further details._

"Nothing here I can do." Ian mumbled to himself as he went back and pressed on the third option, messages.

 _No new messages available._

 _Okay never mind then._

"Well well well, fancy seeing you here."

Ian and the others turned to the new voice, and if he had appeared from thin air, the towering, intimidating sight of Krookodile revealed himself. But something seemed off about him, his eyes were no longer pure black, but instead dark purple.

"Krookodile!" Ian, Patience and Gadget all exclaimed at once.

"You two!" Krookodile exclaimed as he pointed at Ian and Patience. "I should have known the two kids who have made a mockery of me would be a duo!"

"It's not our fault that you're incompetent!" Patience taunted.

"Oh now you've just pissed me off!"

Krookodile stomped his feet as he launched an attack right at Ian and the others, the group instinctively scattered as the attack just barely grazed them, missing them by mere centimeters.

"Stay away from his attacks!" Gadget said. "He could easily turn us all to stone! Ian, whatever it is you're doing you better do it fast! We'll protect you as long as we can!"

Ian nodded as he quickly turned his head back at the screen, pressing on the second last option. He didn't know what barrier is he exactly deactivating, but hopefully, it could help them with the predicament they're in right now.

 _WARNING, AMDRO CONDUITS STILL ACTIVE, DEACTIVATE POWER CONDUITS BEFORE BARRIER DEACTIVATION IS PERMITTED._

 _Conduit 1: ONLINE_

 _Conduit 2: ONLINE_

 _Conduit 3: ONLINE_

Ian punched the device in frustration, the one thing he hoped could help them out in this situation, was blocked by 'conduits' that he had no idea of what or where there were.

Until suddenly, like the explosion that just happened behind him, he had realized something.

"Three conduits... three artifacts... oh my goodness that's it!" He exclaimed, proud of himself with connecting the two points together. The other artifacts, the ones Entei, Suicune and Raikou swore to protect, were the very same conduits that needed to be deactivated. His train of thought was cut short when a Dark Pulse just barely missed his head fin. Patience running up to the mudfish Pokemon in concern.

"That was too close!" She yelled as she panted tirelessly, for the brief moment she had battle, she was already growing tired from the lack of air.

Ian didn't reply as he quickly grabs the fire fox Pokemon and ducks to his right as Krookodile came charging straight at them with a Giga Impact. Thankfully, Krookodile missed the two partners but instead hitting the artifact, the collision sent the intimidation into a daze as the recoil from the attack plus the strong and thick material that covered its surface clearly caused immense amount of pain to him. Ian and Patience both got off the ground and nodded at each other, knowing full well what they were going to do.

"Shall we?" Ian asked.

"After you."

Ian fired off an Ice Beam towards Krookodile as the projectile quickly froze him in place. Patience immediately followed with a Fire Blast, the shockwaves sending Krookodile's frozen but eventually thawed body flying. The fire fox Pokemon then used Psychic on her partner, flinging Ian right at Krookodile who was still falling. The mudfish Pokemon used the intimidation Pokemon's wide body as a stepping stone as he pushed himself further up in the air, flipping upside down and launching a final Hydro Pump towards Krookodile. The red giant only had a split second for his mouth to hang open in shocked before the pressurized water sent him straight into the ground below, the impact leaving him in a massive hole. Ian landed right square onto Krookodile, his landing cushioned by him, which was the final blow, placing him down for the count.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Patience exclaimed as she ran up to her partner and raised her hand to give a high five. Ian gladly returned the gesture as the two smiled at each other. Gadget, Fletchinder and Nuzleaf all stared wide eyed from a distance, speechless with what they had just witnessed.

"Such synchronicity..." Gadget muttered.

"They work so well with each other, without even uttering a word...!" Fletchinder exclaimed.

"Well I'll be dammed. The bond those two share is so close, they require no communication to work together, they know how the other thinks." Nuzleaf theorized. As the three walked towards the impact crater where Krookodile laid. Gadget went ahead and stomp her foot down on Krookodile, pinning him to the ground.

"I've waited so long to finally get my hands on you!" Gadget said as she grit her teeth in anger. "The friends I've lost, the family I've lost! Your arrest is the only thing that will satisfy my vengeance!"

"Heh, I think you got the wrong guy, lady." Krookodile said with a smug on his face. "I don't know who your family even is."

The gleam eyes Pokemon pressed her foot harder on Krookodile, Ian could have sworn he heard a bone cracked, causing the intimidation Pokemon to yelp in pain.

"Don't you DARE lie, I'll break every bone in your body if I have to! Amp Plains! Two years ago, I saw you turn everyone there into stone right before my eyes!"

"Gadget, I think that's a little too exce-" Patience was interrupted when Ian grabbed her by the shoulder and shook his head, telling her not to intervene. The fire fox Pokemon wanted to protest over the rather unnecessary torture, but she decided to suck it up, if she had lost someone close to her, like Pops, she probably would have reacted the same way too.

"Amp Plains... ah, now I remember him telling me all about it, you have to remember that we Dark Childs have more members than you imagine."

"WHO then? Who was it then turned my family into stone?!"

Krookodile simply laughed, which unnerved Gadget and the others, he lifted his head high enough just so he could get a glimpse of the group of Pokemon that stood in front of him, he slowly lifted his hand and pointed at something. "Right behind you."

Suddenly, Ian felt an hand covering his mouth, taking him by surprise as he began to struggle. Patience, Gadget and Feletchidner all turned at the sound of scuffling behind them and were greeted to a shocking sight. Nuzleaf, who had been unusually silent the entire time, was holding Ian in a chokehold, a Leaf Blade held close to his throat.

"Nuzleaf?!" Patience exclaimed. "Y-you're the-?!"

"Unfortunate that it had to come to this." Nuzleaf said as he began dragging Ian towards the artifact, the mudfish Pokemon struggling but failing to get out off his iron grip.

"You... you filthy traitor!" Gadget snarled, releasing her grip on Krookodile and facing the new unexpected enemy.

"This... just got out of hand." Fletchinder mumbled, flabbergasted at what he was witnessing.

"Why Nuzleaf? Why would do this?!" Patience asked, her voice cracking, as if she was trying to pull herself together.

Nuzleaf shook his head. "I've lost someone in the past, someone... dear to me. Dark Matter promised me a new world where I can see her once more, all I had to do was pledge my loyalty, and so I did."

"And that justifies pulling a blade towards Ian's throat?! Even when he trusted you?!" The fire fox Pokemon yelled back.

"Nothing personal, none of this would have ever happened if not for Ian being a human once, his past is just the thing we need for our plans to succeed." The wily Pokemon explained. He looked down at Ian, as he continued to struggle his way out of Nuzleaf's grip, but to no avail. "Ian, I like you, I honestly really do, you're like a son that I always wanted."

The mudfish Pokemon's eyes changed to that of anger when he heard that comment. As he mumbling something but was muffled by Nuzleaf's hand.

"You, Gadget, was it? I knew I've seen you somewhere before, little did I know that you were a survivor of my attack on Amp Plains. Guess your clan isn't that weak after all."

The Luxray gritted her teeth in anger, as she felt the repressed rage building within her with every word that heartless bastard said. Not only did she felt angry at herself for being played like a fool and getting backstabbed, but also because Ian, the Pokemon that had helped her cope with the sorrow she had carried for two years, was being held hostage by the very same Pokemon who caused all this, it felt like a kick to the stomach even after fainting. An insult to injury.

"You... you... YOU BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Gadget yelled as she charged at Nuzleaf in a fit of rage, no longer thinking rationally and was instead relying on her rage alone, becoming instinctive with her behavior. Nuzleaf easily side stepped Gadget's attack, even while holding Ian.

"Too slow." Nuzleaf taunted.

Gadget turned around, spotted the wily Pokemon once more and let out a roar, the first time anyone has seen her done something so primitive, as if she no longer had full control of her body. The gleam eyes Pokemon swung her tail around and launched an Electro Ball at Nuzleaf. The wily Pokemon dodged the attack once more, this time with almost near lightning reflexes.

Patience quickly dug through her bag and took out the Teleport Gem, she toss it over to Fletchinder who was caught off guard and just barely caught it. "Go! Get out of here!"

"What for?" The journalist questioned. "I can easily handle myself and we can easily corner him!"

"That's not the point! Someone needs to warn Serene Village about what's happening! When you're done, get back to Lively Town and wait for us there. If we make it back that is..."

Fletchinder closed his eyes, pondering for a brief moment, eventually nodding in agreement. He raised the Gem as it began to glow brightly. "Good luck, it's been nice knowing you." In a blink of an eye, the fire bird Pokemon disappeared. Patience processed the words Fletchinder said, even though they were supposed to be words of encouragement, it felt depressing to realize that it felt more like a farewell, given the slim chance she had of surviving this. Shaking those thoughts out of her head, she turned to Nuzleaf to see him throwing Ian down to the ground and wrapping him up in vines, as the mudfish Pokemon was becoming a hinderance fighting Gadget. The Luxray tackled Nuzleaf which finally landed as it pushed the wily Pokemon back a few meters.

"Hmph, I've had enough with you, this time, STAY DOWN!" Nuzleaf held out his hand and began charging a dark purple projectile and fired it instantaneously, Gadget, whose fatigue finally got the better of her after using so many attacks consecutively, finally met an end as the attack struck her in the face, her entire body turning into a dull grey colour as she remained frozen in place. She had been turned into stone.

 _Gadget!_ Patience's mind exclaimed in shock as Nuzleaf dusted off his body, unaware that Patience was still very well capable of fighting. She took a quick glance at Ian, tied down to the ground with vines, the mudfish Pokemon looked at his partner and motioned his head towards Nuzleaf, indicating her to attack. The fire fox Pokemon took a quick deep breath.

 _It's now or never._

Patience fired an Ember and immediately broke into a dash, wanting to tackle Nuzleaf just as soon as her Ember hits him. Just then, she felt something grabbed her by the tail as she was spun around and greeted with the Pokemon who had grabbed her tail, Krookodile.

"You should sit down you pest!" The intimidation Pokemon said before punching the Fennekin in the stomach, making her gasp for air. "This is for Lively Town!" He said, before slamming Patience down onto the ground, injuring her.

Nuzleaf, who somehow managed to avoid the Ember, untied Ian and pushed him to the front of the AMDRO screen, Leaf Blade held to his back. "Deactivate it, now."

"What does thing even do?" Ian asked.

Nuzleaf pushed the blade towards his back, just hard enough that Ian could feel the pain. "Not of your concern."

"Even if I wanted to, the three power conduits are still on." Ian said. "Looks your plans have hit a snag."

"Oh really? Check the screen again."

The mudfish Pokemon reluctantly examined the screen once more and was shocked with what he saw.

 _WARNING, POWER CONDUITS OFFLINE. AMDRO BARRIER IS NOW ACCESSIBLE._

"What...?! How the-"

"You really think me and Krookodile were in this alone?" Nuzleaf asked mockingly. "The other members have informed me of the destruction of the conduits, and from what I've heard, your friends tried putting up a fight, but failed miserably."

Ian and Patience's eyes widened at the mention of the other three locations that the other Expedition Society members had went to defend, if what Nuzleaf said was true, then the others have possibly met the same fate as Gadget, turned to stone.

"Damnit..." Ian muttered over the loss of his colleagues, his mind began wondering if Faith made it out safely. It was selfish of him to only think of her welfare, but she was the closest member of the Society that she cared the most, aside from Patience.

 _Speaking of Patience..._

He looked over to his partner to see the fire fox laying injured on the ground, bruises covering her body. He winced at the sight of his injured partner, he couldn't bare to see his closest friend hurt like this. He shook the thoughts out of his head as he looked over at the screen once more as he pressed the command to deactivate the barrier again.

 _This action requires a blood sample for authentication. Please remove a few drops of blood into the container below._

The panel beneath the screen began to open, and soon a small, thin tube unveiled itself before Ian.

"What's it doing?" Nuzleaf asked.

"I need to do something... painful to deactivate the barrier." Ian replied. "It says here that I need to remove a bit of blood and place it into the tu-"

Ian's sentence was cut short when he suddenly felt a sharp pain penetrate the back of his body. His entire body froze up as his eyes widened from the sudden jolt. He looked down to see a blade, covered in blood, protruding out from his chest.

"The blood of a human." Nuzleaf said as he held firmly onto his blood soaked Lead Blade, he pulled the blade clean off from Ian's body as more blood splattered onto Nuzleaf's face. The mudfish Pokemon tried saying something but all he could manage was a weak, pathetic gurgling noise before collapsing onto the ground.

"IAN!" Patience yelled in horror at the sight of her partner being stabbed. She frantically ran up to the heavily wounded Mudkip as Nuzleaf and Krookodile both ignored her desperate struggle, they had more important things to do.

"Humph, he got what he deserved." Krookodile commented. Nuzleaf remained silent, as he looked away from Patience desperately dragging Ian away from him. He looked down at his blood soaked hands, in deep thought. He eventually shook the thoughts out of his head as he turned to look at the blood covered trial that led to Ian and Patience. The Fennekin placed her hands over the Mudkip's wound, covering it and trying her best to prevent any more blood from leaking out.

"Come on Ian! Stay with me!" Patience cried as she pressed harder on the wounded. Ian, who had fallen into a state of shock from the blood loss, was gasping hard for air.

"S-s-stop t-them!" Ian managed to mutter with all his might before coughing hard, blood tripping from his mouth.

Patience shook her head vigorously. "No! I'm not letting you die!" She cried, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Ian wanted to protest but he began to feel his strength fading from him, as he body began to fail on him. He tried reaching his hand out to Patience but his vision went dark as he slipped into a state of unconsciousness.

"Ian? Ian! Ian please! Hang in there!" Patience exclaimed as she continued to hold onto the mudfish Pokemon's wounds. She laid her ear near Ian's nose and was thankfully greeted with the sound of him breathing.

Nuzleaf turned back from the pitiful sight and approached the AMDRO. He held the blood soaked Leaf Blade over the tube and let the blood from the tip of the blade drip slowly into the tube. After a few seconds, the screen flashed green.

 _Processing... processing..._

 _Confirmed match with: Möbius_

 _WARNING, DEACTIVATING THE RIFT GENERATOR AND BARRIER WILL RELEASE LARGE AMOUNTS OF DARK ENERGY INTO THE SURROUNDING AREA, PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ARE WEARING A HAZARD SUIT AND THAT IT IS PROPERLY FITTED. DO YOU STILL WISH TO DEACTIVATE THE BARRIER?_

[ ] YES

[ ] NO

Nuzleaf slammed the 'yes' prompt immediately, even though he was unsure what would actually happen. All he knew was that it would bring finally Dark Matter into this world after laying dormant in another dimension. Part of him was worried that Dark Matter's information was wrong and for all he know this device would tear this entire mountain in half and summon and giant monster. But he shook those thoughts out of his head, there was no turning back now as the AMDRO soft hum whirled to life as the tip of the pillar began forming a bright ball of energy.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Krookodile muttered to himself as the ball of energy continued to grow bigger and bigger, almost consuming the top half of the pillar, the device continuing to hum loudly. Soon, in a blink of an eye, the ball of energy shrunk and a beam of light shot up into the sky, reaching high up and disappearing into the clouds above. A few seconds later, the sky began to shake violently and the clouds began distorting in an indescribable way. Soon after, the sky tore open to reveal a dark, dreadful purple void, darkening the sky instantaneously. The shockwaves of the tear in space and time cause Nuzleaf and Krookodile to lose their balance and fall to the ground.

"AT LAST! OUR MISSION IS COMPLETE!"

Nuzleaf and Krookodile both turned to an empty plain where the source of the voice originated as they got themselves back up. Shortly after, a dark portal materialized from the ground as an enormous, crimson red Pokemon emerged from it. It had three black striped clawed wings, dark green eyes. Patience silently watched in horror from a distance at the events that had just transpired.

"Oh my Arceus..." was all she had to say as she looked up in terror at the broken sky above, the once bright blue sky transformed into a dreadful shade of purple, engulfing the sky in darkness.

"Master Yveltal!" Krookodile greeted as he and Nuzleaf got onto one knee and kneeled before the flying beast.

"It is done, Dark Matter is finally free." Nuzleaf said.

"YES, YEARS OF PREPARATION HAS FINALLY COME TO FRUITION." Yvetal added. The destruction Pokemon looked up at the void above and gave an unnerving smirk. Nuzleaf compared that smirk to like a child a birthday present that they always wanted, which was eerily similar the more he thought about it. "BUT WE MUST NOT FALTER, FOR THIS IS ONLY THE FIRST STEP! DARK MATTER WILL CLEANSE THIS WORLD OF ALL EVIL. AND WE, THE DARK CHILDS, WILL LEAVE A NEW WORLD TO THE NEXT GENERATION, FREE FROM EVIL, FREE FROM VIOLENCE, FREE FROM DECEIT!"

Krookodile roared loudly in approval as Nuzleaf simply stood silently and nodded in acknowledgement at Yveltal's 'tear jerking' speech. Although he didn't really had an interest in their ideals, heck, even considering it hypocritical at times considering what he just did to Ian and the others. The only reason he joined this cult of crazies was because of the promise Dark Matter made. The promise of bringing back the one Pokemon who meant the world to him.

 _Rosie... just wait for me a little while longer... and we'll see each other again._

"Hm? And who might those two be?" Yveltal asked as he tilted his head to the side and noticed a pool of blood with two Pokemon laying idly on it. He flew closer to the two Pokemon and noticed a bleeding Mudkip and a Fennekin pressing on the mudfish Pokemon's wounds.

"Oh, those two." Nuzleaf said as he followed his master towards Ian and Patience. The fire fox Pokemon silently watched as the two Pokemon approached them, a feeling of hopelessness overwhelmed her. "Please Master, spare them from death, and just send them to the Voidlands, they're still young."

Yveltal pondered as he quietly stared at the bloodied Fennekin and Mudkip. The Mudkip looked to be close to death, while the Fennekin had multiple bruises and cuts all over her body. The destruction Pokemon could easily just kill them right now, consider it a mercy kill to end their suffering.

"...VERY WELL THEN, BUT IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF YOUR CONSTANT LOYALTY THAT I WILL ALLOW THIS ONE EXCEPTION." Yveltal said.

The wily Pokemon bowed his head. "Thank you Master."

Yveltal flew closer to Ian and Patience, staring intimidatingly at the Fennekin, to which she only scoffed.

"Just get it over with." She bluntly said, accepting her fate as she held Ian close to her.

"AS YOU WISH." Yveltal replied as he charged up the same attack that Nuzleaf had used to turn Gadget into stone. Patience pressed her head on to Ian's head as she closed her eyes and recalled something Pops told her years ago.

 _"Whenever you're lost, and you can't find your way back home. Just close your eyes, count to ten and when open your eyes again, I'll be there."_

She did precisely that as she began counting up to ten. Hoping that went she opened her eyes again, she would realize that it was all just a dream, and she would wake up in her room in the Expedition Society, with Ian next to her, ready for another day of exploring.

 _One_

 _Two_

 _Three_

 _Four_

 _Five_

 _Six_

 _Seven_

 _Eight_

 _Nine_

 _Te-_


	71. Chaos and Confusion

"Identify yourself!" Suicune demanded.

"Granbull's the name." Granbull introduced. "And if you would be so kind, I got a device that needs to be destroyed."

The four Pokemon watched as the bulldog Pokemon stomped his way past the debris of ice he had left from smashing through the ceiling, approaching the artifact, Suicune quickly jumped in between the device and him. Ampharos, Mawile and Faith soon joined.

"Are you the culprit that's been turning dozens of Pokemon, including Legendaries into stone?!" Ampharos asked.

Granbull gave out a menacing laugh. "Legendaries? No no you must be mistaken, that's Nuzleaf's job. I, on the other hand, do the heavy lifting for pests who get in the way!"

Granbull broke into a dash and began charging head first at the four Pokemon. Suicune was quick to react as she launched an Aurora Beam at his feet, causing the purple bulldog to stumble and trip from the slipperiness of the ice, sliding across the room and hitting his head onto a wall.

"Take this!" Mawile exclaimed as she charged towards Granbull, the deceiver Pokemon grabbed the bulldog Pokemon by the leg and flung him into the air. She then jumped up and used an Iron Head, which sent him flying straight into a wall, creating a hole in it.

"Is he down?" Faith asked.

Mawile approached the hole as she noticed Granbull lying motionless inside, presumably knocked out. She let out a short sigh of relief as she eased herself from the tension. "Yeah, I think he i-"

Granbull eyes snapped wide opened and fired a Flamethrower which consumed Mawile where she stood. When the flames cleared, Mawile laid motionless on the floor, left badly injured from the super effective move.

"Mawile!" Ampharos exclaimed as he quickly counter attacked with a Zap Cannon. The projectile flew at incredible speed towards Granbull as he stepped out from the hole. However when the Zap Cannon was only a few centimeters from him, the ball of electrified energy took an unexpected change of direction, flying upwards to the exposed ceiling above, harmlessly dispersing shortly after.

"What in the-?!" Ampharos exclaimed in shock.

Granbull gave out an evil smirk as he began charging an attack from his hands. "You're not the only ones who wields strange powers" Granbull said as he pointed at the Looplet with a dark purple Emera inside, a kancium Emera. "This has gone on for too long! Time for you to get stoned!"

The group's eyes widened at the mention of stone as the bulldog Pokemon launched a purple aura attack, most likely the attack used to turn Pokemon into stone. Suicune pushed past Ampharos and Faith as she shielded the two from the attack, the projectile hit the aurora Pokemon with enough force that it nearly knocking her off her feet. She watched in horror as her legs began turning into stone, she simply gave a look of sympathy to Ampharos and Faith as the effect slowly began swallowing the rest of her body, eventually turning her completely into stone.

"Suicune no!" Faith exclaimed.

"Damn..." Ampharos muttered.

Granbull gave a loud maniacal laugh. "So much for the graceful Legendary Beast! She clearly didn't dodge that one!"

The lighthouse Pokemon gritted his teeth as he fired multiple Electro Balls in a fit of desperation. Faith as well fired an Ice Shard at the bulldog Pokemon in response to Suicune's demise. However, all the projectiles deflected off Granbull as none of the attacks failed to connect. The two had forgotten about Granbull's special kancium Emera.

"You two are next! Have a nice time in the Voidlands!"

Granbull was about to launch another stone attack when suddenly a hand appear from the corner of his eye and grabbed one of his hands, preventing the attack from charging up. He turned around and noticed the Pokemon responsible, it was the Mawile whom he thought had already fainted.

"Not this time you hulking scum!" Mawile sneered as she grabbed Granbull's other hand and the two were locked in a struggle of who could overpower the other in terms of strength. The deceiver Pokemon was surprisingly strong despite her inferior size, managing to hold herself and force Granbull to use all of his strength just to keep up with her.

"Mawile!" Ampharos called out. The second in command managed to turn her head around a little to catch a glimpse of him and Faith.

"Go! Get out of here! I'll buy you some time to get out of here!" She muttered under her breath as she continued to push Granbull.

"The Teleport Gem!" Faith said. "Where is it?!"

"U-upstairs...! In my bag!"

"No! We're not leaving without you!" Ampharos exclaimed.

"Negative sir, your safety is my highest priority. Don't worry, I'll be alright."

Ampharos hated this, Mawile had a point. As the Expedition Society chief, his safety mattered above all else, he had to lead the other members when they returned, they needed a leader. But Mawile, his second in command, his old partner, his friend. The lighthouse Pokemon couldn't bare to see the Pokemon that has been through all the bad and good leave him like this.

 _Mawile... I'm sorry_.

Ampharos eventually nodded. "Alright, goodbye Mawile, it's been an honor." Faith looked to Ampharos in shock at his decision of wanting to leave Mawile behind.

"No! We can't leave her! Get off me we can't leave her to die!" Faith protested as Ampharos grabbed the fresh snow Pokemon by the tail and dragged her back towards the cave entrance that they came in from. Mawile watched as the two made their way out of the room, her strength growing weaker by the minute as her arms began to ache from the amount of force by Granbull.

"Good luck chief, it's been an honor serving you." She said as she heard one final Electro Ball striking the mouth of the entrance, causing the ceiling of the entrance to collapse. Sealing her and Granbull in this icy tomb, if she was going to die, she might as well put up a fight.

 _Never wanted to end like this, but life just don't go the way we want right?_

Mawile pulled Granbull with all her might as the momentum from Granbull caused him to lose his balance, leaving him vulnerable. Mawile ducked beneath Granbull as she used an Iron Head and head butted the bulldog Pokemon in the stomach, causing him to gasp for air. The deceiver Pokemon didn't stop there as she raised her fist and punched Granbull right in the face, sending him flying into another wall. Mawile trembled for a moment due to her injuries, she felt her body slowly failing on her as she forced herself to keep pushing. Little did she know her attack did nothing to slow Granbull down as he had already recovered from her attack and was charging straight at her. Mawile was too slow to react as she felt a sharp pain penetrate her chest as she was slammed into the wall behind her, collapsing to the ground.

"I'll make sure you suffer before I'm done with you!" Granbull exclaimed as he grabbed Mawile's right arm and pulled it over her head and swung his fist down on her elbow, snapping her arm as it bent in the opposite direction. Mawile yelp loudly in pain as she felt her arm dislocating. Granbull let go of her as she laid pathetically on the ground, looking in horror at her badly dislocated arm.

 _I-I can't feel my right arm...!_ She thought to herself as her multiple injuries have caused her to go into shock as she could no longer hear her own voice. She felt tears dripping down her face as the immense amount of pain have finally gotten the best of her. She watched silently as Granbull walked up to her, laughing in amusement at the weakened state of his opponent.

"I must admit, you fight well for a little lady." Granbull mockingly complemented.

The deceiver Pokemon simply stared at him in quiet anger. Disgusted that he still had the gall to try and complement her after breaking her arm. "Go to hell..." she finally muttered.

"Oh I don't think so, but I'll make sure you will." Granbull said. The bulldog Pokemon began charging his stone attack, as a dark purple aura began forming around his hands. Mawile shut her eyes close, not wanting to see her own demise. She could have sworn she heard Granbull muttered one last thing before he fired his attack.

Goodbye, Volt. Was the last thing her mind thought of before she felt a force strike her body with the force of dozens of Tauros's and her mind went dark.

* * *

"Traps are set and ready to go!" Bunnelby announced.

Archen nodded as he paced nervously around the circular chamber that housed the artifact, being careful to not set off the traps on the ground.

 _They won't be getting past these._

It has been about... one? Maybe two hours since the three strange Pokemon, to which Swirlix managed to identify as Beheeyems, had attacked them, there had been the occasional tremors from above. Presumably them trying to break in, but so far they haven't been successful, and have been rather quiet for awhile now. But Archen doubt they just gave up and left, the Beheeyems are probably finding another way in.

"Swirlix, anything?" Archen asked.

"Still quiet upstairs." Swirlix replied from across the room, standing idly by the corridor that lead back up the Raikou's cave, which they had also barricaded.

Archen took a quick scan of the room he was in, the preparation they had done for their defense. Wands, tied with strings, covered the walls of the corridor upstairs, all of them of varying effects. The wands were connected to an elaborate set of waist high tripwires, when broken, the movement from the wire will shake the wand hard enough for it to activate, hitting anyone that enter with either paralysis, sleep, or truant. At the entrance laid orbs that were buried within a few centimeters of dirt thanks to Bunnelby, they were cracked just enough that the slightest force on it will activate the orb.

 _What happens if all else fails? I'll cross that bridge when I get to it._ He thought to himself as he approached Bunnelby and Swirlix who were waiting idly by the entrance.

"Do you really think they're still out there? It's been almost an hour since they stopped attacking." Bunnelby said.

"Yeah, I don't think we can survive down here given how little food we brought." Swirlix said as she inspected the contents of her bag. All that is left inside were two apples and three Oran Berries.

Archen checked his bag for his food supply and realize Swirlix had a point. He only had a piece of apple left in his bag, barely enough to get through the day if he rationed it. There was no way the three of them could last the next day huddled in this small chamber.

The first bird Pokemon sighed. "Alright... we'll wait a few more hours, if it's all clear, we get out and contact the Chief for instruc-"

Archen didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when suddenly rocks brushed past his wings as a blast of wind overwhelmed them. The three immediately ducked for cover as a section of the chambers wall collapsed.

"Everyone! Attack!" He yelled as he launched a Wing Attack at the cloud of dust and in the general direction of where the Beheeyems might be. Bunnelby and Swirlix both charged through the debris and used a Double Slap and Tackle respectively. "N-no wait!" The first bird Pokemon exclaimed when he realized the terrible error he had just made, he didn't even know if the Beheeyems were even in the cloud. His fears were proven true when he heard the last words of his team mates.

"Come at me you metal heads! I'll make sure you-" Bunnelby was interrupted when an echoing but distinctive sound silenced the digging Pokemon mid sentence. The same sound he had heard earlier when the Beheeyem used the move that turned Raikou into stone.

 _No..._

"Oh... oh no..." Swirlix's voice echoed from the dust cloud. "ARCHEN GET OUT OF HE-" Another move launched and the cotton candy Pokemon was silenced as well, never to be heard again. When the dust cloud eventually dispersed, Archen saw the three Beheeyems, floating idly as two of them were staring intently at two new additions to the chamber: Two life sized stone statues that took the place of Bunnelby and Swirlix, they were gone...

"BUNNELBY! SWIRLIX! NOOO!" Archen yelled in horror as his heart began beating at a rapid pace, faster than he has ever felt before. The two Expedition Society members he was entrusted to lead were gone, all turned to stone because of his screw up of forgetting that Bunnelby and Swirlix only had physical attacks, causing them their lives. They had trusted him... but he had failed them.

 _I'm sorry..._

The first bird Pokemon fell to his knees from the sudden overwhelming guilt he felt thrust upon his shoulders, he felt powerless against the three Beheeyems that slowly approached him. Three against one, there was point of trying to fight back. He grieved in silent over his deceased team mates. Soon, it will be his turn next.

The three Beheeyems stood idly by Archen when they realized that he no longer posed as a threat. They began to let their guard down as one got up to the first bird Pokemon and squatted next to him.

"Giving up so easily?" Beheeyem asked. Archen remained silent. "I wouldn't mind, makes my job easier."

"...What even are your intentions?" Archen mustered up enough courage to ask the question. The Beheeyem simply laughed, followed shortly by the other two Beheeyems who all laughed in unison, the sight which disturbed Archen, they look as if they are all connected as one in terms of actions and personality.

"I doubt you will ever understand our intentions for the betterment of the world, but I suppose that's to be expected from parasites like you." Beheeyem replied, as he stood up to finish off the final Pokemon in his way of his true objective, the artifact. "But no matter, I think I've said enough. Die, knowing that not only you've failed your teammates, but also this world."

The Beheeyem then raised his arm as a dark purple began materializing, Archen immediately made the connection that it was the attack that turns Pokemon into stone. This was it, the end of the line for him. The first bird Pokemon never thought that his life as an Expedition Society member and protege of a famous Exploration Team. He felt a sense of remorse when he realized what would his parents, who are probably living peacefully in a cozy little cabin on the mountain range of the Mist Continent would react of the news of their son, their most precious treasure in all their years of exploration, has been killed in action? His mother Archeops would probably be sorrowful and depressed for years to come, while his father, Arcanine will mourn silently, as he always does with most of his feelings. His mind wandered off as the last moments of his life slowly approached. He reminisced of his childhood, the days he spent with his parents in small mystery dungeons, learning everything there is to know about exploration. At the end of each day, they would always return home for a nice, well deserved dinner cooked by Archeops, he could still smell the mixed berry salad his mother always liked cooking, the many stories Arcanine would tell him about the adventures he and his mother have had so many years ago, from meeting Legendaries to discovering ancient ruins, his father always had a new and exciting tale to tell every night before bed. Those were happy times he wished he had cherished more looking back.

 _"Take some risks, you'll never survive in the world without going all or nothing."_

Archen recalled the words of his father as he mentally slapped himself awake. What was he doing?! Kneeling pathetically on his knees while the villains had their way with him. This wasn't the same son who had been drilled constantly to never lose hope even under insurmountable odds by his father, he couldn't just give up so easily like this, what would his father think of him.

Disappointment, that's what. Archen said to himself. As he quickly began scanning the room for something, anything he could use to get him out of the predicament he was in. The ball of dark energy Beheeyem had charged was already bigger than his head and it was any second now before he'll be turned to stone. Archen's reaction time had to be faster than his. It was then he finally found a diversion, beneath Beheeyem's feet was a pile of uneven dirt sticking out from the ground, it was one of the traps they had placed and it hasn't been set off yet, his eyes then turned to the giant hole blew open by the Beheeyems to gain entry into the chamber. It lead to the outside world as Archen felt the strong wind brush his face, given how high Raikou's domain was from ground level, his only method of escape was to take a leap of faith down to whatever was below. It was a very risky and foolish plan, but that's what his dad taught him to do after all.

 _Well, time to risk it all._

In a quick flash, Archen grabbed the dirt that covered the trap and threw it into Beheeyem's eyes. The cerebral Pokemon winced in surprise and covered his eyes in pain, interrupting the attack.

"Argh! Why you pesky little-!" Beheeyem said as he tried to attack Archen once more. The first bird Pokemon used a Quick Attack on him and caused the cerebral Pokemon to stumble back, knocking over the other Beheeyem who were too slow to react. Archen grabbed whatever it was that was buried in the ground and quickly examined the item, a dirt covered, nearly shattered Petrify Orb laid on his wing.

"Can't complain." He mumbled to himself as he threw it at the three Beheeyems who were piled up on top of one another, a quick flash of light and a faint static surrounded the Beheeyems for a second, rendering them unable to move.

"You're not getting away with this!" One of the Beheeyems said, Archen couldn't tell who, considering that they all look the same. The first bird Pokemon quickly ran towards the edge of the hole and looked down. Below him, was a steep dive into the ocean, a long way down.

 _This is probably going to hurt..._

"Oh yes I am!" Archen arrogantly retorted as he spread open his wings and let himself fall backwards into the ocean below. As he felt the strong wind blast past his face, he tried his best to control his fall as the wide blue sea grew closer and closer. He wasn't sure what he's going to do once he hits the water, the Sand Continent mainland is nowhere in his immediate vicinity.

 _Wait a second..._ Archen thought for a moment, water... he was part rock...

"OH SH-!" Was all he managed to to shout out before his body slammed into the ocean, immersing his entire body underwater. Terrified, he frantically flailed upwards towards the surface as he felt his body began to sting. It felt like as if his skin could tear off. Before he could emerge from the water, Archen suddenly feel his body tense up, his body no longer his own to control, as he began to panic. He didn't have enough time to take a deep breath earlier and he could no longer hold his breath any longer, his mouth opened instinctively as he began suffocating and losing conscious. The last thing he saw was the sun reflecting through the water to create rays of light that moved in a wavy pattern creating a sort of optical illusion.

It was almost... beautiful.

* * *

"This... Buizel of the...tion Society, to anyone who can hear this warning: STAY AWAY from Fire Island Volcano. The Pokemon responsible... turning others to stone has overrun the island. Dedenne... Jirachi... and Houndoom, they never stood a chance... right before my eyes... gone. To anyone who can hear this, warn Chief Ampharos of the Expedition Society at Lively Town, tell him that... group C wishes him the best of luck in ending this madness once and for all. Looks like my time is finally up, this is Buizel of the Expedition Society, signing off for the last time, if you see a Fennekin named Patience... tell her... tell her that I-"

* * *

 _Shit shit shit shit shit shit!_

Fletchinder ran as fast he could away from Revelation Mountain, the fastest he has ever ran in his life. Even when his legs began to ache and he began gasping for air, stopping and letting those... 'things' catch him was not an option.

When the fire bird journalist teleported out from the summit of Revelation Mountain, he immediately made a dash for Serene Village in order to inform the villagers about what was going on. However, the unthinkable happened a few minutes later, a beam of light, originating from the summit of Revelation Mountain shot up towards the sky and teared opened a giant hole in the sky. It covered the entire sky and blocking the sunlight from entering, plunging the surrounding area into darkness. Shortly after, hundreds if not thousands of black, slimy substance began raining down from the hole in the sky. Several of the dark goo landed near him and remained motionless for a few seconds before a few blobs came together and starting changing. The blobs started morphing into limbs such as long claw like hands similar to a Garchomp, long, giant legs that made the creature nearly tower over Fletchinder and a head that despite not having a face, it still somehow produces a soft moaning noise. Not wanting to stay around to find out if the blob creature posed a serious threat, Fletchider turned around and began running as fast as he could from the thing, the creature somehow managing to keep up with him.

"I sure hope Ian and the others are alright..." Fletchinder mumbled to himself as he glanced back behind him to see if the strange dark creature was still following him. To his surprise, it was nowhere to be found. Confused, the fire bird Pokemon quickly scanned the surrounding trees for any sight of the hulking blobbing freak, but surprisingly, it was gone. Presumably giving up on chasing after him and decided to go off somewhere else.

 _All the running instead of flying finally paid off huh._ Fletchinder complimented himself as he continued making his way back to Serene Village.

When Fletchinder finally arrived in Serene Village, his assumption that he had been pushing from his thoughts was unfortunately proven true. As he reached the gates and got a look of the village square, dozens of the blob creatures were terrorizing the villagers of Serene Village. Some of the villagers were running away in terror, brushing past Fletchinder and running out from the village without even acknowledging the fire bird Pokemon. While a few others were attempting to fight back against the unknown foe, hitting them with everything they had. One of them in particular, the local Kecleon shopkeeper, was holding out against three of the blob creatures.

"Come on then!" Kecleon taunted as he readied a Shadow Claw attack. "I'll take on ten of you if it means keeping my shop and customers safe!" The three blob creatures charged all at once towards Kecleon but were immediately cut down by Kecleon who moved at a speed beyond any Pokemon he had ever seen, one moment he was standing still, the next he was behind the creatures backs and slicing them up. What shocked Fletchinder was what happened second later when the dismembered body parts of the strange blob creature began regenerating the limbs they had lost and becoming a new one, separate from the creature that were previously once a part of.

"Oh... so that's how it's going to be then." Kecleon muttered to himself before the regenerated creatures overwhelmed the shopkeeper, covering him with their body. Fletchinder heard his muffled cries for help as Kecleon slowly disappeared from sight and he could no longer hear his screams. When the blob creatures finally dispersed, Kecleon was nowhere to be found, he was gone like the wind. Mortified by the discovery, Fletchinder ran as fast as he could towards the nearest shelter he could find, the Café Connection. When Fletchinder entered the building, he immediately slammed the door shut and blocked it with the nearest tables and chairs that he could find. He wasn't exactly sure if those creatures were flexible enough to just squeeze through the gaps of the door and windows, but blocking the door gave him a moment to catch his breath and slight sense of relief.

 _This is getting out of hand. It's chaos out there!_ Fletchinder said to himself as he calmed himself down so that he could plan his next course of action. Serene Village was no longer safe, these creatures have either consumed the villagers or caused them to evacuate. The surrounding areas were probably the same as well, he wasn't sure how wide the hole in the sky stretched but from what he could tell, the blob creatures drop point is only limited to places near the hole itself. Which means...

 _Lively Town!_ Fletchinder's mind conjuring up the idea in an instant. He remembered Patience telling him to wait for them there after warning the village. If the threat was simply limited to Serene Village, that means Lively Town was still a safe bet to retreat to. He opened his bag and quickly rummaged through it, grabbing the Teleport Gem that he had gotten from Patience. He quickly closed his eyes and thought of Lively Town, expecting the Teleport Gem to instantly warp him back there. But after a few seconds of waiting, nothing happened. He was still exactly where he was inside the Café Connection. Confused, and getting a little bit worried, Fletchinder tried again, but once again to no avail. The fire bird Pokemon swore as he threw the gem across the room in frustration. Of all the times the gem failed to work, it sure picked the worst time. For all he knew maybe the hole in the sky or the dark blob creatures were causing an interference with the crystal. But there was no proof to suggest that was the case.

"Well that's just bloody great..." Fletchinder muttered to himself angrily. His one and only easy way out of this mess was gone in a flash. Fletchinder just realized that he had just screwed himself over, blocking the only exit out of this building if the creatures somehow got in, he has trapped himself in this dark, deserted Café.

 _Well shit._

Just then, Fletchinder's ears pick up on something, a faint noise just barely audible even to his ears. It sounded like... weeping?

 _There's someone else here as well!_ The fire bird Pokemon came to the conclusion as he made a dash to the source of the sound, which came from the back of the Café. As he climbed up the short steps leading to the back, he stumbled upon a sight he wished he hadn't. Laying in front of him, between two overturned tables was the body of a Noivern, motionless. Above the body towards the ceiling was a rather large hole, debris and wood were scattered everywhere near the body. The Noivern most likely had crashed into the Café and met its untimely demise right here before him, the scorch marks and wounds all over its body added to his theory, the dark creatures outside were most likely the ones responsible, shooting the Noivern out of the sky. Fletchinder approached the body and gently laid his wing over it.

 _Rest easy now._ He mourned for a moment as he lifted his wing back up, he had noticed that the body still flat warm as he wing made contact, he hypothesized that the Noivern's death was only about less than an hour ago, given that was the how long since the giant hole in the sky appeared.

"But wait..." Fletchinder muttered as he began connecting the dots together. "If you weren't the one who made the sound earlier, then who did?"

His reply came shortly after as he heard the soft weeping once more, this time more audible than before, it was somewhere in front of him, near the Noivern's body. The journalist carefully stepped over the body out of respect as he inspected the other side, it was then he finally found the source of the weeping.

Huddled by the lifeless body of the Noivern, was a small purple furred Pokemon with large circular ears that drooped over its tiny head. It's eyes were shut tight as tears came flowing out of its eyes.

 _By Arceus, it's a Noibat!_ Fletchinder thought in shock at the sudden realization of the correlation between the Noivern and the Noibat. They must be related! A parent and its child. And with the parent no longer alive to care for the Noibat, it just cowers hopelessly by its dead parent, hoping that they were only asleep and that they would wake up soon enough. It was then Fletchinder felt something tugging at his heart, an invisible force telling him to rescue the child. At first he felt conflicted, who else was going to raise this Noibat? Did the child have any other relatives? Anyone who knew how to take care of them better than him? He sure as hell not going to save a child and take them in as his own, he knows nothing about parenthood! From the looks of it, the Noibat looked much younger than even Ian and Patience. But... the paternal side of him, the part of him buried deep at the bottom of his heart, told him that he needed to do it. This poor innocent child most likely had no one else to turn to in this time of need, if he hadn't had entered the Café Connection, he could only think of the worst scenario of what would happen to the Noibat, defenseless against the blob creatures outside.

 _Ah to hell with it!_

"H-hey there little one." Fletchinder awkwardly greeted as the Noibat heard the fire bird Pokemon's call, eyes still shut tight, the Noibat began shaking nervously.

"M-mama..." A soft female voice replied back, indicating that the Noibat was a girl and the Noivern was her mother. Fletchinder realized that the Noibat was clutching something in her tiny bat wings and realized from the clear, cube like object she was clutching on to was the Teleport Gem he had threw across the room in frustration earlier.

"Is the Noivern next to you your mama?" Fletchinder asked.

The Noibat nodded, which relieved the fire bird Pokemon, it indicated that the Noibat was old enough to at least understand him. Curious, he tried asking her a few more questions. "Where did you come from?"

"H-home... far away." The sound wave Pokemon replied softly, seeming much more comfortable now as she stopped shaking. Good. Fletchinder said to himself, that meant she was slowly identifying him as a friend.

"Do you know exactly where?"

Noibat shook her head, which disappointed Fletchinder. He couldn't determine where her potential relatives might be living and returning her to them. Before he could ask anymore questions, the two heard a loud thud come from the front entrance, taking them by surprise.

"Damn!" Fletchinder exclaimed as he turned back towards Noibat. "Come on kid, we have to go! Follow me and I'll get you out of here!"

Noibat shook her head once more. "My eyes... my eyes, I can't see." She said.

"What? What do you mean." Fletchinder asked to which the sound wave Pokemon remained silent. He squatted down by her and held Noibat's face so that he could examine what was wrong with her eye. "Come on now, don't be shy, just open up your eyes so that I can have a look."

Noibat shook her head again, this time much harder and vigorously, as if she was afraid to open her eyes. "Y-you won't like it..." She mumbled.

"It's okay I'm a grown up, I can handle it."

After taking a few moments to consider, Noibat eventually gave in and gave Fletchinder a nod. As she finally opened her eyes, instead of being greeted with the bright yellow eyes the Noibat family are known for, Fletchinder was greeted with cloudy, opaque pupils that covered the entire eye, it looked like a empty void that travelled straight to the soul. Fletchinder's mouth hung open in shock as he finally realized what was wrong with Noibat's eye.

 _Oh my... she's blind...!?_ He finally came to the conclusion. Fletchinder suddenly felt a copious amount of sympathy and sadness over the child he currently had his wings on, dozens of questions began filling his mind. Was she always like this? Was she blind since birth? Or was something else entirely the cause of it?

When Noibat said she couldn't see, she was very serious about it.

"I look scary don't I? That's what everyone tells me..." Noibat asked, which took Flethicnder by surprise. Why would she think so negatively about herself? Was she made fun off back at where she lived? It made sense, but... to think she'd be bullied for who she was saddens Fletchinder.

Before he could reassure Noibat that she looked perfect the way she was, another loud thud came from the front entrance, followed by the door breaking down and a horde of the blob creatures came charging in, as if they could detect their presence, the creatures were heading straight into the direction of Fletchinder and Noibat.

"Uh oh." Fletchinder said, feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline flow through his body. He turned back to Noibat and tried to pick him up so that he could get him out of here.

"N-no no! Mama!" Noibat protested, struggling out of the fire bird Pokemon's grip.

"We don't have a choice! It's either we live to see another day or we die here!"

Noibat, despite the inability to see, widened her eyes in surprise at Fletchinder's sudden mood change. Realizing that the fire bird Pokemon wasn't kidding around when it came to the situation at hand, she finally agreed. "Promise me that I get to see my mama again."

Fletchinder nodded. "I promise."

Satisfied with the response, Noibat allowed herself to be picked up by Fletchinder as he gently placed the little bat over his neck.

"Hang tight! This is going to be a bumpy ride!" He said as he bended his knees and spread his wings as he noticed the blob creatures just at the corner of his eye, closing in on them and making their uncomfortable sounding moaning noises.

 _Let's hope I still remember how to fly..._

In a split second, Fletchinder felt his feet leave the ground and a sudden blast of wind blew past his face. The fire bird Pokemon flew up through the hole that the Noivern crashed into, making a swift escape into the sky. The land below getting smaller and smaller as Fletchinder gained altitude. Fletchinder felt Noibat's grip on his neck as slowly began to level his altitude and now flying horizontally, just below the clouds. Noibat eventually loosened his grip on Fletchinder and instead now sat quietly on the back of the fire bird Pokemon, shivering slightly from the strong breeze.

 _This feeling of flying..._ Fletchinder thought. _This freedom... its been too long..._

Snapping out of his daydream, Fletchinder turned his head slightly to catch a glance at Noibat.

"You alright back there?" He asked.

"I am! Thank you for your help, Mr...?"

"Fletchinder." The fire bird Pokemon replied. "Just call me Fletchinder. Do you have a name as well? Or are you just called Noibat?"

Noibat shook her head. "Mama always likes to call me 'my child' or 'little one', so I'm not sure if I even have a proper name..."

It was then an idea suddenly sprung in Fletchinder's head. "If that's the case how about I give you one? Calling you Noibat all the time just doesn't feel right..."

"O-oh, what do you want to call me then?"

"Echo." Fletchinder replied almost instantaneously. "Let's call you Echo."

"Echo... Echo..." She took a moment to consider the significance of the name, and slowly it made sense. Being blind, she always had trouble finding her way around, that was when her mother taught her how to use her voice to feel the world around her. She said it was called 'echolocation'.

 _Echo... location... of course!_

Echo nodded excitedly. "I like it!"

"Alright, that's that then." Fletchinder said. "Next stop: Lively Town, hang tight!"

The fire bird Pokemon gained speed and began flying towards the mountains that divided the Water Continent. Even though he still wondered what happened to Ian and Patience, whether they managed to escape Nuzleaf. Though the longer he thought about it, his hope that thy survived decreased. But one thing was for sure...

 _At least this kid is safe. That's has to at least count for something when Arceus judges me right?_

* * *

Nuzleaf walked past the many Void Shadows that plagued the Serene Village plaza like they were nothing more than bystanders. The village have become nothing more than a ghost town with the villagers falling prey to the Void Shadows or have evacuated. Yveltal had reassured the wily Pokemon that the scary looking creatures won't attack anyone who had dark energy inside thier body, so far he was right, but Nuzleaf wouldn't hesitate to slice them in half if they decide to attack.

 _Those things sure give me the hibby-jibbies._

After turning Ian and Patience into stone, Yveltal broke the news by saying that the Dark Childs are relocating to an island, far south from here. The destruction Pokemon said that Dark Matter's final goal is on that island and that all of them have to go there to protect it. They were to leave for the island in two days time, enough time to prepare the necessary supplies for the long journey ahead.

Nuzleaf, not exactly one for travelling heavy, wasn't fond of this plan, but had no other choice. He usually only carries the bare essentials needed for him, but Yveltal had ordered him to pack more supplies for the rest of the Dark Childs as well, saying "A UNIFIED COMMUNITY IS ONE THAT SHARES!" Nuzleaf scoffed at the hypocrisy of that statement, if he was so keen on sharing, he should shared his insight on where the AMDRO conduits were instead of hiding in another dimension and napping like a cocoon, would have saved everyone a lot of trouble.

 _That's the problem with big bosses like him, only know how to command but not lead._

When Nuzleaf reached his house, he opened the door and hastily opened all the drawers and boxes that he had stored all his supplies in case of an emergency. He placed as many items as he could into his bag, all the apples, Oran Berries and Orbs he needed for the final stretch of his journey. He simply left the others out in the open, it's not like he'll be coming back anytime soon.

After finally filling his bag with so much items that it reached the rim of the compartment, the wily Pokemon slung over his shoulder, which nearly caused him to fall over due to the immense weight.

 _Sorry shoulder, but these supplies aren't going to be carried by themselves._ Nuzleaf apologized to himself as he slowly got his balance back. Before he decided to leave however, there was still one more thing he needed to get. He turned his head and headed for the back room that was once Ian's room. Looking over it once more, memories came flooding back to him when he took care of Ian as if he was his own.

All the times drinking tea and listening to Ian talk about his day at school and adventuring with Patience, I wish could live in that world forever. Nuzleaf frowned when he thought about that, he never knew how much he enjoyed those quiet and simple bonding times until there were long gone past him, blown away like the winds, never to return. He sighed, pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and did what he came here for. He walked to an empty corner of the room and looked down at the wooden floor, specifically at a part of the floor whose wooden pattern did not match the rest of the floor, it's pattern being slightly more curved and wavy compared to the others. He placed his hands right between the tiny gaps of the floor and pulled the cover out, revealing a secret compartment. Inside, was a tiny, pink box that had a distinctive symbol of a rose flower.

 _I never thought I would see this again..._ Nuzleaf thought to himself as he gently touched the symbol, feeling the smooth metal surface. Opening the box, Nuzleaf found the two reminders that were the reason why he's done every questionable and atrocious deed up to this point. A red coloured rose, placed on top of a blue rose

 _Rosie..._

"Nuzleaf?"

The wily Pokemon's heart jumped when he heard the voice as he immediately shut close the box and shoved it into his bag. He turned his head and was surprised to see Carracosta, standing by the doorway, he had stayed behind, somehow managing to elude the Void Shadows and coming here. It was then he saw the dark purple patches that were scattered all over his body and finally understood why. He was suffering from the effects.

"Carracosta? W-what are you doing here?" He asked innocently.

"I caught sight of you entering your house and you left the door open." Carracosta replied as he let out a loud, sickly cough. "What's going on? What happened at Revelation Mountain? Where's Ian?! Where's Patience?!"

"Ian and Patience are fine." Nuzleaf lied. "They're no longer in any danger."

"What are those... things outside?" Carracosta asked. "And how did you manage to get past them?!"

"I have my ways." Enough with the questions already. He thought to himself as he turned around to face him. "Look we need to get out of here before-" Nuzleaf stopped himself when he noticed Carracosta's eyes had widened and his mouth hung opened, as if he had just witnessed something horrifying.

The prototurtle Pokemon slowly lifted his hand and pointed at Nuzleaf. "W-w-what happened to you?!"

Nuzleaf was confused for a moment with what he meant until he look down at his body and realized why. His body, up until now, was covered in blood, he rubbed his hand across his face and realize his face was splattered with blood as well.

Ian's blood.

 _Uh oh..._

"It's nothing!" He replied back, slowly getting nervous. "I just got hurt by those things on my way here that's all. Now let's get the hell out of here before we-" Nuzleaf tried to exit from the room but was blocked by Carracosta, whose face suddenly changed dramatically, one of suspicion. He was starting to catch on with his lies.

"I don't see any wounds on you." He coldly said.

Nuzleaf simply remained silent as he avoided Carracosta's gaze. Which proved to be a big mistake, for it only made him more suspicious.

"What did you do to them..."

"I beg your pardon?"

Carracosta turned his head to face Nuzleaf, his face twitched in a way he has never seen before. It began to make Nuzleaf nervous.

"WHAT. DID. YOU. DO. TO. THEM?!" Carracosta snapped, which finally sealed it. He has finally seen through his lie. No amount of convincing will change his mind otherwise. Nuzleaf figured he may as well come clean now, lying was no longer and option and he was wasting valuable time if he were to fight him.

"...They're gone, I turned them all into stone." The words seemingly came out from his mouth. He's never seen Carracosta's face twist so badly before as he processed what Nuzleaf just said. Before he could say anything else, Nuzleaf suddenly felt a grip on his neck as Carracosta lifted the wily Pokemon off the ground, choking him with an iron grip.

"You... BASTARD!" Carracosta screamed as he flung Nuzleaf towards a wall of his house, hitting it with so much force that it broke down and the wily Pokemon landed outside, among broken pieces of wood. He let out a cough as he saw Carracosta exiting from the hole in the wall, wearing an unmistakable expression of rage. Nuzleaf turned his head towards his bag, which laid nearby as he reached his hand out, attempting to get an item he could use against him. But just then, Carracosta grabbed his hand and lifted him up towards face level. Nuzleaf attempted to use a move against Carracosta with his free hand but was immediately countered with a head butt to the face, throwing him into a daze. Not stopping his barrage, Carracosta placed a hand over Nuzleaf's face and launched a Hydro Pump at point blank range, sending the wily Pokemon flying into Carracosta's house through another wall. This time, Nuzleaf laid motionless as his entire body went numb from the intense pain.

 _I hate walls..._ Nuzleaf muttered to himself as he looked around and noticed that he was conveniently laying on top of a straw bed, which cushioned his landing. Upon further inspection, Nuzleaf realized that he had landed into Patience's old bedroom, littered across the floor were twigs that only a Fennekin like Patience would enjoy. Nuzleaf saw Carracosta slowly approached him as he walked over the debris of his own house.

"Ian and Patience trusted you..." Carracosta said, as ice began forming in his right hand, indicating he was going to use Ice Beam. "I thought I could too..." The prototurtle Pokemon grabbed the wily Pokemon by the neck once more, causing him to grasp at his neck and struggle as his tight grip began suffocating him. "SO WHY WOULD YOU BETRAY US LIKE THIS?!" Carracosta shouted as he slammed Nuzleaf on to a wall, pinning him.

"Y-you will never understand my reasons for doing this...!" Nuzleaf muttered in defense through his teeth.

Carracosta shook his head, not in disagreement, but rather in disappointment. His neighbour, someone he would even call a friend, is nothing more than a pathetic, despicable coward who wouldn't even dare look him in the eye. "I will not judge you for what you have done, for I believe that is Arceus's duty. Instead, I will send you there to meet him." Carracosta said as he raised his Ice Beam readied hand which is now a sharp, icicle formed around his arm, mere centimetres away from Nuzleaf's neck. "Goodbye, Nuzleaf."

Nuzleaf, who felt his life slowly fading away from him, decided to take desperate measures. As his vision began to black out, he created a Leaf Blade in one of his hands and lunged it upwards as hard as he could in hopes of Carracosta being caught by surprise and letting go of him. Instead, he felt his blade penetrate into something soft, then a yelp, and then Nuzleaf felt Carracosta's grip on him loosen as he dropped to the ground, gasping frantically for air. When his vision finally cleared up, he looked up at Carracosta and was left shocked at what he has done. He saw his Leaf Blade, imbedded into the prototurtle Pokemon's jugular as he held his neck and blood dropped from his wound. The look on Carracosta's face was one of shock and sadness, Nuzleaf has never seen his face twist so painfully before.

"P-p...a...t..." Was all he managed to gurgled out as he chocked on his own blood and collapsed face first into the Patience's straw bed, blood sipping through the straw. Carracosta's body twitched for but a few agonizing seconds before he stopped for good.

Carracosta, was dead.

Nuzleaf, still processing what he had just done, got up onto his feet and approached Carracosta's body slowly. His mind slowly turned hazy the longer he stared at him, as he begun making excuses and denials in his head to justify what he had done.

 _I-it was self defense...! He was the one that attack me first. I did what I could to survive!_ Nuzleaf's mind conjured up as the wily Pokemon placed a hand over Carracosta's nose. Hoping, praying that he was still breathing.

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

 _You MURDERED him!_ A part of Nuzleaf's mind shouted back. _There was no excuse for what you have just done! After what you did to Ian and the others! You deserve it!_

"Shut up..." Nuzleaf mumbled to himself as he stumbled his way out of the house, leaving the Carracosta behind and grabbing his bag that he had dropped earlier.

 _It was all for the greater good, you can't change the world without getting your hands dirty at least once, it's just how life works!_

 _You BETRAYED the one Pokemon who trusted in you! Carracosta has been with you even through your lowest of times and this is how you repay him back? A knife to his damn throat?!_

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Nuzleaf screamed as he grabbed his bag and quickly dug out an Oran Berry to eat. As he bit into the berry, he immediately spat it out in disgust when he noticed that it tasted bitter, an impossible feat because all Oran Berries were sweet. Before he could further question it, Nuzleaf's body began having a strange reaction, his stomach began to churn and suddenly he began throwing up onto the grass. The wily Pokemon felt as if he was puking out his guts as well as the rather unnerving and disgusting ordeal lasted for an entire minute before he finally stopped, feeling empty and sickly.

 _MURDERER!_

 _MURDERER!_

 _MURDERER!_

 _MURDERER!_

 _MURDERER!_

"WHY?" He yelled towards the sky. "WHY MUST I BE PUNISHED LIKE THIS?!" Nuzleaf fell to his knees as tears began forming in his eyes. He laid on the floor and wrapped himself in a fetal position, shaking uncontrollably.

 _It wasn't my fault..._ Nuzleaf muttered to himself over and over, as he felt his whole world collapse and his sanity slowly slipping away. All that lingered in his mind was overwhelming feeling of guilt, at the moment, nothing in the world mattered to him anymore, not even Rosie.

 _It wasn't my fault... It wasn't my fault... It wasn't my fault..._


	72. Into The Void

Ian let out a scream as he opened his eyes and instinctively got up from where he laid, breathing heavily while sweat dripped from his face. He was laying on his bed in his room at the Expedition Society.

 _W-what happened...?_

The mudfish tried recollecting his memories in order to determine what has happened, but his mind was nothing more than a haze as his head throbbed in pain trying to remember anything.

"Patience, can you pass me a Oran Berry? I don't feel so good..." He said, expecting a concerned reply of whether he was okay from the Fennekin but was only met with silence. Confused, he turned to where Patience's bed normally was but was greeted with an empty bed, the fire fox Pokemon was nowhere to be found.

 _Odd..._

Feeling like an Oran Berry wasn't going to fix the issue, Ian decided to pay a visit to someone who knew what to do with this headache, Faith. The mudfish Pokemon smiled at the thought of visiting the doctor, some time spent with her would help with his mood.

Stepping out into the Expedition Society corridor, a sense of déjà vu suddenly overwhelmed him. He suddenly felt a change in atmosphere, he felt as if he had suddenly entered an ice cave with the sudden drop of temperature and his body shivering.

 _What's with this weather?_ Ian thought to himself as he turned left and headed for the Infirmary. The door was left ajar so he simply entered through the gap in the door without knocking, Faith is used to his intruding by now. Looking around the room, Ian quickly caught sight of Faith, who was quietly reading sitting by her work desk and reading a book. Ian felt like surprising the fresh snow Pokemon once more by sneaking up on her and playfully covering her eyes with her dangles.

"I know you're there Ian." Faith bluntly said, which caught the mudfish Pokemon off guard.

 _So much for that..._

Faith closed her book and got up from her seat, turning around to face Ian. "You look like someone who has had a bad dream." She said, her expression plain and hard to read. She wasn't smiling at the sight of him.

 _Something feels wrong..._

"What makes you say that?" Ian asked.

Faith got closer to the Mudkip, almost right up to his face and gently placed her hands on Ian's cheeks, taking him by surprise. "Your face," She said. "it has the expression of losing someone dear to you after placing your full trust in them."

Ian was left bewildered by Faith's rather specific explanation. But just then, those words began causing his head to spin, as he a flood of memories came pouring back into his mind. Revelation Mountain, the artifact.

Nuzleaf...

Snapping himself back into control, he began panting restlessly as he remembered the last memory he had before all this. Lying motionless on the ground, being held by Patience as she hopelessly tried to stop the bleeding of his stab wound as the flying red Pokemon, Yveltal fired a beam of purple light straight into them before everything went dark.

"Is this... the afterlife...?" Ian thought out loud. "I remembered being turned to stone."

"Yes and no." Faith said as she released her gentle grasp on Ian. "You were in fact turned to stone, but this is not the afterlife."

"W-who are you...?" The mudfish Pokemon reluctantly asked.

"Who am I? You're talking to yourself basically." Faith replied as she aimlessly paced around the room. "I'm nothing more than a figment of your thoughts. The 'optimistic' part of your head, being Faith and all."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense." Ian said as he pondered just how significant Faith was to him if his mind decided to use her as a representation of all that's positive in his head.

 _Cute thought..._

"So what happens now? Do I go and lock the Infirmary door and keep you 'company'?" Ian sarcastically remarked.

Faith let out a snort as she shook her head. "I'm sure that's what we both want, but right now, you need to wake up."

The mudfish Pokemon tilted his head. "W-wake up?" He repeated. "But aren't we turned to stone?"

"That may be so, but your heart is still beating and you're perfectly normal... well aside from the massive hole in your chest, I have to say I never thought we would survive a major injury such as that."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?" Ian asked.

Faith let out a giggle, which made Ian feel fuzzy with the way the Glaceon shyly covers her mouth with her hand while she laughs. "That's for you to decide." She finally responded. "Either way, time for you to go now."

The room suddenly broke apart and collapsed as of space itself was being torn apart, as what was once a familiar room now become an eerie white void. Before the mudfish Pokemon could say anything, he was enveloped in a bright light, Ian covered his eyes and began gaining consciousness when he heard 'Faith' call him out one last time.

"Good luck."

* * *

The first thing Ian heard when he began regaining consciousness was the desperate pleas of Patience for him to wake up.

"Ian! Ian! Please! Tell me you're okay!" She cried as Ian's eyes began to open. The first thing he saw was the dark figure of the Fennekin as she had her hands on Ian while constantly shaking him awake.

"Patience..." Ian muttered which finally relieved her as she let go of the mudfish Pokemon. "W-what happened?"

"I-I don't know..." Patience replied. "We were in this cave when we both woke up, it's hard to see in here."

Patience was right, laying on his side from where he was, he could barely make out anything a few centimeters away from him. The most he could see was Pateince's faint orange fur and parts of a rocky wall and ceiling that confirmed that they were indeed inside a cave.

"H-help me up Pae, my body still feels weak." Ian muttered, to which the fire fox nodded and as he grabbed hold of her partner's back and leg and began pulling Ian up slowly as he slowly but surely regained his balance and stood normally. Ian watched as he and Patience stood mere centimeters away from each other, so close that they could feel each other's breath touching their skin. Even in the darkness, the two were still able to make out the silhouettes of each other.

"Are you alright Pae?" Ian asked.

"Am I alright? AM I ALRIGHT?!" Patience exclaimed, which took the mudfish Pokemon by surprise. "You just got stabbed in the chest and you're asking ME if I'm okay?!"

Suddenly remembering the wound, Ian brush a hand along his chest to see if the wound remained. Sure enough, his question was shortly answered when his hand felt a rather large gap in his chest as it began making a disgustingly sickly noise as it touched the wound. "I-I was just worried about you Pa-"

"Worry more about yourself first damn you!" Patience replied aggressively. "I felt as if my heart nearly stopped when I saw you fall to the ground and covered in blood back on Revelation Mountain! My partner and best friend was _this_ close to losing his life!"

Ian was left speechless by the fire fox Pokemon's sudden outburst. He understood why she was so worried, she had witnessed him be gruesomely impaled by Nuzleaf and only hopelessly attempt to stop the bleeding by pressing his wound as hard as she could till the very end.

 _I may not_ _even be here if Patience hadn't had covered my wounds and provided me a few more precious minutes of life._

"I-I'm sorry..." Was all he could mustered up as he head hung low, looking at the damp rocky floor below him.

"No... I'm the one who should be sorry." Patience said. "None of this was your fault, it's just... j-just..."

It was then than Ian began hearing sniffling noise coming from Patience, as he felt her breathing drastically change. Even through this darkness Ian could see Patience unnaturally shaking.

She was crying.

"I-I really thought I was going to lose you Ian!" Patience muttered through her tears as she tilted her down in sadness. "After everything we've been through, seeing you nearly die before my eyes was... was-"

The Fennekin was caught off guard when she felt a hand pulled hers forward as two arms wrapped tightly around her. It wasn't long before she realized it was Ian who was hugging her.

"Shh shhh, it's okay Pae." Ian whispered. "I'm here for you, always."

Overwhelmed by the mudfish Pokémon's tenderness despite everything that has happened, Patience began sobbing uncontrollably as she buried her face in Ian's shoulder while the Mudkip simply remained silent as he gently stroked the Fennekin's head, comforting her as he felt the warmth emitting from Patience's body. It wasn't long before Ian realized that he had begun shedding a few tears as well, most likely because of what Nuzleaf had done to him, to Patience, betraying the two for malicious intents. The one who had took him in when was no one else did, the one he could almost call a father figure with all the times spent bonding through conversations and sharing stories, Ian felt like as if something in his heart forcibly ripped straight out from him, leaving nothing more than an empty hole. Even after everything that has happened between the two, even when they've gone through hardships and betrayal, Ian and Patience were still glad that they could still rely upon each other whenever it becomes too much to handle, both physically and emotionally.

It was something, they both hoped, will never leave.

After what felt like a long time relishing in each other's embrace, Ian and Patience recollected themselves and decided to pick a direction and began walking, hoping it would lead them to an exit. One thing that they immediately noticed was that their Expedition Bags were no longer with them, only their Harmony Scarves remained. More questions also ran through their heads as they walked in silence through the cave. What happened? Where were they? How were they still alive even after they've been turned into stone? All questions but no answer that satisfied them.

"...Hey, Ian?" Patience called out, breaking the long silence between them.

"Yeah?"

"Why is it that we became friends?"

Ian stopped dead in his tracks as he turned back in the general direction of where he presumed Patience was in the darkness. "I beg your pardon? Why the weird question?"

"Just... answer it for me, please?" She kindly asked, the tone of her voice indicating that she seemed desperate when asking the question, as if she was bothered with it for quite some time.

Ian pondered about it for a moment before giving his answer. "Your enthusiasm with me when I first arrived in Serene Village?" He replied. "I guess our friendship just went from there the more dungeons and adventures we had together."

"...I see." Patience softly muttered.

"Pae, I can tell from your tone that there's something bothering you, and it's not the hole in my chest."

Patience scoffed at the mudfish Pokemon's humour. "Am I really that easy to read?"

Ian shrugged. "Maybe."

Patience sighed. "Maybe another time." She replied. "We got bigger problems to worry other my own."

"If you say so."

The two continued on with their walk for about another half an hour before suddenly light started emanating the cave, indicating there was an exit nearby. Excited, Ian and Patience both broke into a dash and soon saw a cave entrance and exited from it, the sudden change of lighting blinding the two for a brief moment. When they both finally adapted to the light, the sight before made them gasp in horror. Instead of some familiar scenery like a lush jungle or a plain, they were greeted with a more sinister sight.

There were at the edge of a ridge, high above the ground as a very narrow gap separated them from where they stood to a long drop down. Looking up, a dark, bleak shade of red mixed with purple blanket the sky. Barren and rocky terrain covered the land below as far as the eye could see, many rock formations towered over others and finally, at the tallest rock tower many kilometres away, a bright blue beam of light shined from above where black clouds covered above the rock tower. Patience recalled seeing the exact same sight when the artifact on Revelation Mountain shot a beam straight of light straight to the sky as well, tearing a giant hole in the sky.

"W-w-where are we...?!" Patience nervously asked as the dreadful environment sent chills down her spine.

"T-this can't be... our world... can it?" Ian wondered.

Patience shook her head vigorously. "Whatever it may be this sight is giving out a whole lot of bad vibes!"

Ian couldn't agree more, nothing about this place felt normal. The air seemed thick and dry, there was no wind blowing and there were no signs of life anywhere no matter how hard the mud fish Pokemon looked.

 _This place is dead..._

"So what now Ian?" Patience asked as she turned to face him. "We have no items, all by ourselves, and in unfamiliar territory. What now?"

Ian remained silent, she had a point, they had nothing. No supplies, no backup, nothing. For the first time ever, Ian felt completely lost, as the leader of the duo it was his responsibility in taking charge. But now... he felt hopeless. He sighed as he turned to face Patience. "We keep moving forward, no matter what."

"Just like that? No plans or anything?" Patience asked.

"What else is there to do?!" He snapped back. "Everything may have gone to hell, and like you said we have NOTHING to help us survive whatever this shithole is! There are times where we just can't plan ahead due to unfavourable circumstances and this is one of them! All we can do now is to just keep moving forward!"

The fire fox Pokemon's eyes widened in surprise at her partner's sudden snapping as her head hung low. "Y-you're right... I'm sorry." She apologized.

The mudfish Pokemon, now calmed, shook his head. "It's fine, I shouldn't have being so harsh. Look, there just isn't that many options right now, the only logical step right now is to just keep going."

"What about the bright beam of light all the way there? That seems like a good place to start." Patience suggested as she pointed at the tallest rock formation just over the horizon.

Ian nodded in agreement. "Then let's get going then, it's a long road ahead of us. You think our legs could handle such a long walk?"

Patience turned back towards the mudfish Pokemon and gave a small nudge to his shoulder.

"Even so, we just have to keep moving forward, right?"

"Atta girl, cause that's how the Hydroflames do it."

* * *

Ampharos panted heavily as he and Faith stopped near a tree to catch their breaths after escaping from Suicune's cave and running for about fifteen minutes. The reason they decided to book it out of the area instead of using the Teleport Gem provided by Alakazam strangely didn't work, even when Ampharos thought as hard as he could of the Expedition Society Headquarters, nothing happened.

"Do you think we're safe?" Faith said through her panting.

"That Granbull didn't come here for us." Ampharos replied as he leaned his bag against the rough but much needed tree bark to rest on. "It was after the artifact we were supposed to protect...

The Expedition Society chief mentally kicked himself for his incompetence of failing his task, and a very important one at that. Just then, out in the distance, at the mountains where Suicune's domain were located, a loud explosion erupted from the mountains.

"N-no!" Faith cried out in horror as Ampharos simply stared in silence and looked away, unable to imagine the terrible fate of Mawile.

 _Mawile..._

"We gotta go back and help Mawile! We can still save her!" Faith exclaimed.

"No, her orders were clear! Buy us time so we can escape!" Ampharos replied in a strict voice. "We should head back to Lively Town and reconsider our strategies."

"To hell with that!" The Glaceon yelled. "No one needs to die unnecessarily! I'm going back!"

As Faith turned her back to Ampharos and was about to run back. The lighthouse Pokemon grabbed her by the tail in an effort to stop her, shocking the fresh snow Pokemon.

"Let go of me!" Faith protested, struggling out from Ampharos's grip.

"Damnit Faith, its too dangerous!" Ampharos exclaimed, holding on tightly despite Faith's constant struggling.

Faith eventually stopped as she turned back around to face the Expedition Society chief. "Why? WHY?" She screamed. "Why would you just abandon Mawile like this?!"

"I didn't-"

"She was your most loyal member, standing by you ever since you founded the Expedition Society! Don't you care about her?!"

"That wasn't my inten-"

"Yet you just ditched her, what kind of a leader just ditches his own member like th-"

"I HAD NO FUCKING CHOICE!"

Faith was instantly silenced by the booming voice of Ampharos, whom she has never seen snapped like this before. This was the first time she had ever seen the chief get angry.

"You think I WANTED to leave Mawile by herself like that?! No! You think I would've allowed her to act selfish and go down like some big damn hero?! Of course not! The only reason I did was because I she knew what she was doing! She knew my safety was more important than hers in order to keep the Expedition Society alive! I've known Mawile ever since I was just a Flaafy, we lived through all the bad and all the good these past twenty years! If I had the chance I would have stay with her till the very end, but she gave her life knowing that I will find a way to put an end to this once and for all. So don't you DARE lecture me about not caring about her."

The air suddenly felt heavy, as the two stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like forever, processing what had just occurred. Faith's mouth hung open in disbelief at Ampharos's uncharacteristic change of personality, while the lighthouse Pokemon, after realizing what he had just said, was shocked with himself. The fresh snow Pokemon began to understand why, he heavily defended Mawile because deep down he truly cared for her and knew that the deceiver Pokemon was selfless enough to give her own life so that her boss, no, her closest friend, lives to see another day.

 _Maybe even closer than friends..._

"Y-you're right..." Faith mumbled, feeling a sudden sense of guilt. "I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't have been so insensitive like that, I didn't know what was I thinking..."

The Expedition Society chief sighed. "I should apologize as well, that was very unprofessional of me. We're all under a lot of stress right now and our emotions get the better of our judgements."

The two Pokemon simply stood in silence, both deep in thought. As Ampharos silently watched the smoke rising from Suicune's domain, he recompose himself and nodded to himself.

"What do we do now?" Faith asked.

Ampharos reached into Mawile's bag that he had carried along with his own and took out the Teleport Gem once more. "Hopefully this thing works now so we don't have to waste time trekking back."

Faith nodded in agreement as she stood next to him in order to teleport together. Before they know it, the ground below them vanished as they felt a sudden falling sensation and the two disappeared, leaving only the quiet, snowy forest behind them.


	73. Lost Hope

"C-can we take a break for a moment Pae? I-I suddenly find it hard to breathe." Ian gasped as he suddenly felt his legs go numb and he fell back onto a rock wall and gently settled down. Patience, just realizing what had happened to her partner, quickly rushed back to his aid.

"What's wrong?" Patience asked. "It's unusual for you to get tired so easily like this."

"I-it's my damn stab wound." Ian muttered in between breaths, as he clutched his wound with hand. "It's constantly aching and stings."

The fire fox Pokemon squatted down next to her partner and was about to pull open his hand to examine his would when Ian quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.

"What are you doing?" Ian asked.

"I... just want to see how bad the wound is, morbid curiosity." She said.

There was a moment of awkward silence between the two partners as Ian gave a weirded out stare at Patience as the fire fox Pokemon simply scratched her cheeks nervously. Ian eventually sighed and gave in to his partner's request.

"Just... be gentle alright?" The mudfish Pokemon said as he gently ease his grip on Patience's hand and lifted his hand from his wounds for her to see. When his hand was finally clear from the wound, Patience gasped in horror as she covered her mouth, horrified at the severity of the wound.

A thin red line stretched across from Ian's chest to almost the base of his neck, like a birthmark that got cut open. It's like it was forcefully ripped open due to his skin being weak to grass. But yet, the cut is so fine it's as if he was made of paper. So fine, It's as if Nuzleaf's Leaf Blade thrust has been swift yet deadly, like he has done it before.

"It doesn't look good huh?" Ian commented. "I'm more surprised how I'm still even standing..."

"You and me both..." Patience muttered, still unable to avert his gaze from her partner's grisly wound. She honestly wasn't sure if she could ever see Ian the same way again, for when it turns into a scarring, it'll become a physical reminder of the horrors that Ian suffered through, while she helplessly witness it. It will not only haunt her for the rest of her life, but for Ian as well.

 _I'm sorry..._

Ian eventually pushed himself up and got back up on his feet as Patience assisted by helping him steady himself.

"Let's get going then." Ian said, to which Patience simply nodded in agreement.

Just then, Ian and Patience both heard something moved nearby, making them turn their heads to the source of the noise. Nearby, behind a small boulder, a white and brown bushy tail stuck out from behind the boulder. The two partners looked at each other, thinking the same thing. It was the first time they've encountered another living soul ever since waking up in this dreadful land, they could finally find out just what was going on around here.

"U-um excuse me?" Patience called out to the bushy tailed Pokemon. The tail suddenly jittered as it scurried away from sight behind the boulder.

"STAY BACK!" A shaken female voice yelled. "DON'T YOU DARE TAKE ANOTHER STEP NEAR ME!"

"Woah woah, take it easy." Ian said, as he cautiously approached the female Pokemon. "We just wanted to tal-"

The bushy tailed Pokemon jumped out from her cover at lightning speed, startling the mudfish Pokemon. She appeared before the two and it was then they realize was Linoone, with a distinctive scar etched across her left eye. She was breathing erratically, her legs slightly bent inwards as if ready to pounce on Ian and Patience.

"Easy there, we mean no harm." Patience assured.

"LIES!" The Linoone shouted, inching closer to the two. "You expect me to believe you're not one of those things? Only pretending to be kids so you can consume me?!"

 _Things...?_ Ian wondered, unsure as to what the Linoone meant.

"Look, we just got here." Ian spoke up. "We have no idea where the hell are we and we don't know what 'things' are you referring to. But please believe us that we are not whatever you think we are."

The Linoone stayed silent as she eyeballed Ian and Patience repeatedly. The tension and the silence between the three of them lasted for what felt like hours before the rushing Pokemon finally spoke up once more.

"Prove it then." She said.

"How?" Ian asked.

Linoone raised her hand and aimed her claws menacingly at the two.

"Those blob creatures don't spill blood when they shape shift, so the only way for me to find out is for you to spill out some blood." She replied.

Ian and Pateince's eyes widened at the her need of unnecessary bloodshed just to convince her that they were normal. She mentioned blob creatures, were those the 'things' she had mentioned earlier? Even so, Ian and Patience weren't willing to perform such a disgusting act like self harm just to prove her. But from her stoic and serious mannerism, it doesn't seem like any words would sway her decision.

"L-look at my wound right here!" Ian called out to Linoone, pointing at his open wound left by Nuzleaf. "This is more than enough evidence to prove that I'm normal, right...?"

Linoone examined the mudfish Pokemon for brief moment, before nodding her head. "Fine, you pass. Now, the Fennekin." Her claws now aimed at the fire fox Pokemon, Patience was left nervous with what she'll do to her to get her proof.

"T-this is ridiculous!" Patience retorted back. "There has to be some other way to prove my innocence! I am not harming myself for this!"

"Hmph, if you won't do it, then I will!" Linoone said as she immediately rushed towards Patience, claws at the ready.

"PATIENCE!" Ian cried out as he pulled his partner close to him, his back facing incoming attack. The mudfish Pokemon had expected a sharp pain to hit him at any second, however none came. He realized that he had his eyes shut the entire time and soon opened his eyes to see his partner's face buried in his chest, his hands covered over her head. Just then, he felt something poked his back, as he and Patience turned to see Linoone, her fangs retracted and spouting a sheepish grin. She began laughing hysterically which confused Ian and Patience.

"Oh that never gets old!" Linoone said in between her chuckles. "Relax you two, I believed you the moment I locked eyes with you."

Ian and Patience were left flabbergasted with the rushing Pokemon sudden change in personality, it was no more than a few minutes ago that she looked like she could kill them both without a flinch.

"I-uh... w-why-" Ian hopelessly blabbered, still unable to comprehend what had just happened.

"It's not safe out here, Void Shadows roam the area and you don't want to be out here when they come. Follow me, I'll take you somewhere safer. And uh... are you two done being intimate or do you want me to give you guys some space?"

Ian suddenly realized that he still has Patience wrapped around him and quickly let go of his partner, suddenly feeling flustered by the embarrassing remark from Linoone. Patience too felt the same, turning away from Ian in embarrassment.

 _This Linoone has a weird sense of humour..._ Ian thought to himself.

* * *

As Ian and Patience followed their new companion, Linoone through the desolate land, known as the Voidlands according to Linoone, a place where Pokemon who turn to stone end up in. The two began recounting the events that have led them to where they were now, from their first day at the Expedition Society all the way to the scuffle and betrayal at Revelation Mountain. Throughout the entire recap, Linoone simply grunted and nodded occasionally while silently listening to their story, never stopping them to ask anything, like a parent listening to their child's stories for the day.

"And that's how I got stabbed by my would-be father figure and the two of us ending up here." Ian concluded.

"I'm sorry to hear of what you've been through." Linoone said. "It must have been hard for you kids."

"Not really honestly." Patience replied as she her partner a pat on the back. "We look out for each other, that's how we manage ourselves up to this point."

"That nice, it's as if you were meant to meet and become partners, almost like fate." Linoone replied, Ian quickly noticed the slight frown that the rushing Pokemon made when she said 'fate', as if something was bothering her, the mudfish Pokemon decided not to press the matter further. They just met and it would seem a little rude to pry into her personal life right now, he decided to change the subject.

"So... what about you?" He asked. "What's your story?"

Linoone remained quiet for a brief moment, most likely trying to find the words she wanted to say.

"I live in the Air Continent." Linoone finally replied. "I am a mother of two lovely children, one boy and one girl."

"Awwwww." Patience said. "Are they cute?"

"The cutest." She replied.

"If you're a mother," Ian said. "then who's the fa-"

The mudfish Pokemon was cut short when a loud, spine-chilling scream echoed from somewhere further ahead, taking the three Pokemon by surprise.

"What the heck was that?!" Ian exclaimed.

"Another survivor, and not far from us as well." Linoone replied.

"Are you sure it's not one of those Void Shadow things?"

"Shadows don't scream, now come on!"

Linoone dashed ahead of the two as Ian and Patience quickly quickened their pace to investigate the source of the scream.

Little did they know the one that screamed came from someone they knew very well.

* * *

 _Come on Jaws! You can do it!_

Mawile grabbed her broken arm once more and applied force on it in an attempt to reattach it, but the slightest push caused it to ache tremendously, making her scream in pain. She gave up on her attempt as she leaned back onto a wall and sat down, panting heavily.

"Where the hell am I anyway...?" Mawile said to herself as she carefully examined her surroundings. She was in some kind of narrow pathway, rock walls covering both sides with nothing of note to be seen anywhere else. Looking up, Mawile was shocked to discover a dreadful blood red sky that emit a sense of evil the longer she stared at it. How did she even get here? Her last memory before waking up here was at Suicune's domain protecting the artifact when Granbull overwhelmed her and turned her into stone.

"Is this... the afterlife?" Maw ole wondered. It was the only logical conclusion to make if she really was now nothing more than a rock sculpture in the real world. There was no beating around the bush with that.

 _If that's the case, Arceus sure has a sick sense of humour by not fixing_ _my arm even though I'm dead_.

"Hello? Is anybody there?"

Mawile jumped when she heard the sudden unfamiliar feminine voice. She looked around to see where the source of the voice originated from, but to no avail.

"Who are you? Identity yourself!" Mawile called out to the voice, hoping to hear a reply back. But the voice that came out next took her by surprise for it was one that she knew exactly who it was.

"Mawile? Is that you?!" Patience yelled back.

"Patience?!" The deceiver Pokemon called back. "Is that really you?"

"There's no other Fennekin with a voice like hers, well, I don't think so at least." Ian snakily replied, to which Mawile chuckled slightly. "Where are you? Speak louder so we can find you!"

"ALRIGHT!" Mawile yelled as loud as she could, hoping that it was loud enough for them. Silence filled the atmosphere for what seemed like forever before she finally began hearing footsteps coming from her left. She turned her head and soon saw three figures running towards her, there was no mistaking it was them.

"Mawile!" Patience exclaimed excitedly. "Thank Arceus! You're a sight for sore-"

The fire fox Pokemon and the others stopped dead in their tracks and their eyes widened in horror when they discovered the state of their fellow Expedition Society member. Her right arm was morbidly bent in the opposite direction of where it would normally be, her arm had somehow been dislocated, the deceiver Pokemon simply smiled pitifully at Ian, Patience and a Linoone whom she assumed was the unknown female voice from earlier.

"M-Mawile! Y-your...!" Patience stuttered, still in shock. The Expedition Society second in command chuckled, not out of courtesy, but rather to help her not think of her broken arm.

"I see, so I guess your mission on Revelation Mountain failed." Mawile said, in her usual professional tone.

"We can discuss that later!" Ian replied back. "That arm of yours is a more serious issue!"

"Let me see." Linoone said as she approached Mawile and gently grabbed her arm to examined it. The deceiver Pokemon flinching every now and then when she touches a painful spot. Eventually, Linoone grunted and nodded her head. "Luckily it's only dislocated, I can fix it."

"W-what are you going to do...?" Patience quietly asked.

The rushing Pokemon turned her head back to Mawile. "This is going to be really, REALLY painful." She said as she began gripping Mawile' arm tighter with her two hands. "Are you ready?"

Mawile nodded immediately, completely understanding what she was about to do. "Do it."

Linoone took a deep breath and with a swift hammer swing to the elbow, pushed the arm back into position. A loud, sickening crack noise echoed followed by Mawile screaming in agony and falling to the ground, panting heavily and clutching her now fixed arm. She slowly tried moving her right arm to make sure, sure enough, she could move her arm once more. Satisfied, she wiped the few tear drops forming in her eyes and got back up on her feet, ignoring the pain that still lingered in her arm. This group needed a leader, and she's going to have to step up and fill that role.

"Thank you Linoone, you have my upmost gratitude." Mawile thanked, bowing her head in respect. The rushing Pokemon simply nodded her head and replied with a simple "You're welcome.".

"So what now?" Patience asked.

"Where were the three of you going before you found me?" Mawile asked back.

"We were heading towards the tallest rock formation over there with the very ominous dark clouds forming at the very top of it." Ian replied as he pointed forward. Mawile turned towards the direction of where the mudfish Pokemon was pointing and sure enough, in the distance, a tall and large looking rock formation stood high above the ground, dark clouds and a bright blue beam of light shining from the top of it. She didn't know what blue light or the clouds meant, but considering the fact that they have nowhere else to go, it was the only lead they have.

"Alright then, let's get going! I'll lead the way!"

"Yes ma'am!" Ian and Patience both yelled in unison. Being the second in command, the two of them knew that she would be better suited to lead the group. They turned to Linoone for approval of the change of command to which she simply shrugged.

"I'm not that good of a leader anyway." She commented. "I'm a mother not a survivalist for crying out loud."

With everything settled and another Expedition Society member by their side. Ian, Patience, Mawile and Linoone continued fourth towards their destination of the mysterious rock tower. Although they may not know what laid ahead for them in the Voidlands, and all hope seemed lost at that moment, there was one thing that the four kept in mind.

Stick together, work together, and they'll make it through together.


	74. One Big Reunion

"Archy! Come inside for dinner!"

Archen jolted from his sleep when he heard his mother called from inside the house. He had an open book in his hands, one of many dungeon encyclopedias his dad owned. The first bird Pokemon had probably fell asleep due to how boring it was to read, nothing but geological facts and the Pokemons that live there.

 _What's the point of all of this? Isn't the point of exploring dungeons_ _is not knowing what they may hold? That's part of the excitement!_

The first bird Pokemon sighed as he closed the book and got up from the wooden log he had been leaning on and lazily made his way back to his family home. The first bird Pokemon felt nervous but excited for tomorrow, for he will finally leave his home in the Mist Continent to travel across the oceans to a recently developed town in the Water Continent, where news of a new "Expedition Society" was setting up shop there. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, for the son of Team Blazing Griffin to carry on his family legacy and make a make for himself as an explorer.

 _Everything has been leading to this, the next chapter of my life._

Archen pushed open the door to and entered his house and was greeted to the sight of his mother, Archeops, laying plates of food on the table with his father, Arcanine, helping out as well.

"Big day tomorrow kiddo." Arcanine said as he laid the final plate on the table. "Eat up as much you can for it'll be a long time before you get to enjoy your mother's cooking again."

"Right." Archen replied as he placed the encyclopedia back onto the shelf and sat down at the dinner table with his parents. Usually, the atmosphere at the dinner table was lively, with Arcanine and Archeops often talking about all kinds of topics, spending some quality family time after a long day. But today, everyone quietly ate their food, not uttering a single word, the sound of chewing and the rustling of trees filling the room as everyone awkwardly stared at each other while their mouths were filled with berries.

"So... are you all packed up?" Archeops asked her son.

"Yeah, I think I have everything." Archen replied as he finished the last scraps of his food.

"Go to bed early tonight." Arcanine advised. "You're going to have to get up early tomorrow to catch the Lapras Express to Lively Town."

"Hmm."

Archeops And Arcanine both looked at each other with concerned look on their faces. Whenever Archen replied with nothing more than a simple grunt, there was something that was bothering him.

"Archy, is there something on your mind?"

"Huh? N-no, I'm perfectly fine!" The first bird Pokemon stuttered as he quickly gathered the dishes from the dinner table and place them by the shelf to wash later.

"Son..." Arcanine muttered, getting the attention of Archen. He turned to see his father giving him "the look", the slight frown and half closed eyes that he always made when he was concerned. For as much as he looked menacing just because of his species, deep down he was more of a fuzzy pushover more than anything.

The first bird Pokemon sighed, nothing escapes the sight of his dad. "I'm just... nervous about all this."

"How so?" Arcanine asked.

"Well... I'm honestly not sure if I'm ready for all this, what if I'm called to lead but I can't? What if I screw up under pressure? All this thoughts keep invading my thoughts and it only makes me nervous."

Archeops approached the first bird Pokemon and pulled him into a hug, gently stroking his head. "We've thought you everything you needed to know since birth, all of our skills and knowledge, passed down to you. But sometimes, there are things that even we can't teach, things like leadership, decision making and doing the right thing. It's the adventures and experiences you will have that will make you a better Pokemon."

Archen remained silent for a moment, processing the words of his mother. She always knew the right words to say to comfort him, that's what he liked the most about his mother, the fact that she always had the wisdom and advice for any situation. Feeling better, the first bird Pokemon let go of his Archeops embrace and nodded.

"I'll try my best, and I'll be sure to make you both proud!"

Arcanune shook his head. "Not for us son, but for yourself, do something good for this world, for it is the duty for all of us."

"Thank you mom and dad!"

"Now go get some sleep, we'll see off at Poe Town tomorrow morning!"

Archen nodded as he walked past his parents and ducked down into his room, wishing his parents good night before shutting the door to sleep. A part of him still felt nervous about joining the Expedition Society, what kind of Pokemon were there? Will they be friendly and welcoming? Or strict but fair? Whatever awaited him in the next continent over, he had to be ready, for his parents will no longer be there to guide him.

He was taking his first steps into becoming a true Pokemon Explorer.

* * *

Archen's eyes opened as he woke up gasping for air. He held tightly to his chest as he slowly began to breathe normally.

 _I'm alive...? I'm alive._ Archen thought to himself. The last thing he remembered was foolishly jumping into the ocean and nearly drowning. The first bird Pokemon quickly scanned the area he was in and realized that he was in a room inside a house, he laid underneath a straw bed and a fireplace sat idly nearby, keeping him warm.

 _Was I... saved?_

"Grovyle! Grovyle! He's awake!" A high pitched female voice exclaimed from somewhere in the house. A few seconds later, the door just across the room swung open and two figures entered. A Grovyle, carrying a tray with a single bowl on it and a pink, floating Pokemon that Archen has never seen before.

"Thank Arceus you're alright, you've been unconscious for two days." The Grovyle said.

"T-two days?!" Archen exclaimed. He wondered what has happened over the past two days and the well-being of the other Expedition Society members. "I-I got to get back to Lively Town and report back to the Chief!"

The floating pink Pokemon grabbed his wing. "Nuh uh uh, you're in no condition to leave just yet! We found you unconscious by the beach with bruises probably caused by the water and you're just going to leave like it was nothing? No can do!"

"Celebi please, let's not yell at our guest shall we?" Grovyle said as he placed the tray down by Archen and handed him the small bowl containing a hot liquid inside. "Drink up, it won't exactly taste good, but it'll make you feel better."

Reluctantly, Archen took the bowl and gulp down the liquid. His face contracted for a moment as he began making a weird face from how bad whatever it was that he drank tasted. Celebi began giggling at the first bird Pokemon's reaction to which Grovyle softly slapped her by the back, to which she responded by sticking her tongue out at him.

"Now that you're feeling better," Grovyle said. "would mind telling us how a rock type like you ended up drifting from the ocean?"

Archen began to explain everything he knew up to this point about his mission as an Expedition Society member, about the turning to stones incidents, the Legendary Beasts involvement in their affairs and the task he and his colleagues had to protect the sacred artifacts that Entei Suicune and Raikou were guarding. Throughout the recap, Celebi raised her tiny hands up to ask a question or two while Grovyle listened quietly with his eyes closed, taking in every bit of information.

"I see..." He finally said after Archen finished. "That explains the rumors over at Sahra Town about dark clouds forming over the Water Continent."

"Dark clouds?" Archen asked. "What do you mean?"

"Really dark and spooky clouds have covered the Water Continent for the past two days." Celebi explained. "Another rumor we heard from the locals was that of a giant red winged Pokémon was flying away from the Water Continent moments after the dark clouds formed.

"Red winged...?" The first bird Pokemon repeated.

"Anyway, I just hope this gets resolved quick, I don't feel like reliving in darkness again ain't that right Grovyle?"

"Mmhmm."

The pink fairy Pokemon chuckled slightly and hugged the wood gecko Pokemon by the neck, flustering him.

"So what's the story with you two?" Archen decided to ask. "You both seem really close with each other."

"Uhh, yeah... you could say that." Grovyle muttered.

"We're a couple!" Celebi blurted out , to which Grovyle shot an annoyed glance at her.

"I see..." Archen simply replied, the room fell silent for a brief moment before Grovyle decided to speak up again.

"So you're planning on heading back to Lively Town?" He asked.

The first bird Pokemon nodded. "I have to report back to Ampharos and plan our next move. Is there a Lapras Express at Sahra Town?"

"A Lapras was supposed to arrive in town this morning but we haven't heard from him." Celebi replied. "It's most likely because of the dark clouds."

"Damn, how am I supposed to get back now?"

"I think I know someone who could help you with that, the only problem is that she lives in Treasure Town in the Grass Continent." Grovyle said.

"I'll take whatever I can get, please help me out!"

The wood gecko pondered for a moment, eventually nodding in agreement to Archen's request. "Alright then, I'll send a letter to my old partner and his friend from Wigglytuff's Guild, I'm sure they would be delighted to hear from me again."

"Letter?! We don't have time to send it via Pelipper! That would take days!" Archen protested.

"Don't worry, I have yet another method to instantly send it."

"You're going to ask for his help?" Celebi asked, to which Grovyle nodded."

"Yep, it was about time I paid ol Dusknoir a visit anyway."

* * *

"DEDENNE LOOK OUT!" Bunnelby yelled as she grabbed the tiny mouse Pokemon just in the nick of time from the blob creature's tendrils.

"Keep moving everyone!" Gadget called out to the other two as she fired another Electro Ball at the approaching creature. Although as hard as she tried to take it down with her constant barrage of moves, all it did was only agitate it even further. The three had woken up in this unknown place and met up shortly after, only to be attacked by these strange blob creatures that seemed to roam the lands. They all didn't how they had ended up here, with the only common thing being turned to stone at their respective artifact locations.

And now here they were, trapped in yet another life or death situation, with the odds stacked heavily against them. If Gadget didn't think of something quick, they will all be done for.

Gadget huffed as she turned around and broke into a dash along with Bunnelby and Dedenne. The three of them having no idea where they're running off to, as long as it broke pursuit with those creatures.

"GADGET, ABOVE YOU!" Dedenne cried.

Gadget looked up and saw one of the creatures falling towards her. The gleam eyes Pokemon was about to launch another Electro Ball at the assailant when in the corner of her eyes a bright blue beam from behind her struck the creature and turned it into ice. It fell onto the ground with a loud "ting" sound and shortly after, a familiar Mudkip holding a small ice shard landed in front of her.

"Ian?!" Gadget exclaimed.

"Got here just in time eh?" The mudfish Pokemon remarked as he threw the ice shard into the Void Shadow's center, causing it to violently shake and immobilizing it. Ian then used Ice Beam on the Void Shadow, freezing it and using Hydro Pump, shattering the Void Shadow into dozens of pieces. Gadget, Bunnelby and Dedenne eyes widened in surprise with how easily their newest and youngest Expedition Society member took down the thing. Shortly after, they heard footsteps from behind them as they turned around to see Patience, Mawile and an unfamiliar Linoone join up with them, all with ice shards in hand.

"Ice is their weakness!" Mawile called out to the three, informing them of something they had learned while on their way here.

Nodding in acknowledgement, the three watched as Ian froze the rest of the Void Shadows, attacking them shortly after and shattering them into pieces. The group breathed a sigh of relief as the threat was gone for now.

"Right, I think that's all of th-" Gadget tried saying but was cut short by Patience jumping into her to hug her, catching the gleam eyes Pokemon by surprise. The group exchanged hugs with each other, understandably glad to see a familiar face in this dreadful place.

"So... you all got turned into stone too huh?" Patience asked.

"Seems like it." Defense replied as she paced around the group. "I'm not sure what happened to Buizel though, I hope he somehow made it out."

"Archen was still alright when me and Swrilix got attacked by the Beheeyems." Bunnelby added in.

"I gave the Chief and Faith time to escape while I stayed behind." Mawile said. She briefly heard a soft sigh come from Ian, which she knew the reason why, the two of them had grown close to each other over the past month. Maybe even closer than they anticipated.

"So that just leaves Jirachi unaccounted for in these 'Voidlands'" Gadget said, the group all nodding. "And who's the Linoone over there?"

Linoone shrugged. "Just a passerby." She replied.

"Right... well I think she best stick with us anyway." Bunnelby commented. " It's safer if we all stayed in a group."

"That's right!" Patience exclaimed, catching everyone off guard by her sudden perkiness in this bleak situation. "I don't care what it takes, I'm going to make sure everyone gets out of here alive! We're all in this together! One for all and all for one!"

One by one, everyone began smiling at the fire fox Pokémon's morale support, even though it sounded cheesy and overly optimistic, it definitely gave them a rejuvenated sense of determination to find a way out of the Voidlands together.

"So uh... Ian." Bunnelby called out. "Are you going to fix that or...?" He asked, motioning towards his stomach area.

The mudfish Pokemon's heart felt heavy once more when he was reminded once more of the bloody and gruesome reminder that was the stab wound he had received from Nuzleaf. Thinking about the very moment the wily Pokemon betrayed him by shoving a Leaf Blade straight into him and leaving him for dead, Ian fought back the urge to cry. He began explaining to the group about what had happened on Revelation Mountain, about how the artifact's were actually sealing something called 'Dark Matter' and how that Nuzleaf, along with the Legendary Pokemon Yveltal and a few others, were the true culprits behind the multiple turning to stone incidents. Ian half heartily decided to also mention that Nuzleaf was the Pokemon that had brought him in and cared for him when he first woke up in this world as a Mudkip. The group were shocked and taken aback by the cruelty of his would be father figure

"I-I'm so sorry Ian..." Dedenne remorsefully said.

"As a mother myself, using a child for your own selfish needs and betraying their trust is sickening." Linoone said as she spat on the floor in disgust.

"Let's... just get going everyone." Mawile interrupted, not wanting to further hurt Ian emotionally with all the sympathies. She knew fully well a simple sorry never made things any easier for the Pokemon who's hurt.

Everyone nodded in agreement as they formed up and began continuing forward through the Voidlands in dreadful silence, hoping to leave the painful thoughts behind and focusing on their main goal of finding a way out of here.

* * *

Unbeknownst to the group, not far from them, up above a nearby crevice, sat a lone creature lurking in the shadows who silently observed the seven organic matters.

 _mAtTeR_. The creature thought as the group slowly disappeared from view. It had lost sight of them. It did not need to worry about losing track, the others are already tracking them and informing it their precise location. The creature felt no emotions, but if it could, it would probably be feeling 'pleased' as organics would call it. The creature never knew why it needed organics to survive, it was the very first thing that came into its mind when it could first think. Consume. That's all it knew. The creature vaguely remembered blurry images of what it assumed were memories of his past life. A blue sky, some forests, but that was about it. The longer it remained here, the more it's memories deteriorated. Only a single thought in its mind.

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_

 _COnsUmE_


	75. Breaking Point

Faith watched as the last batch of evacuees came pouring through the Expedition Society entrance, immediately shutting the door once the last Pokemon stepped in. She didn't want to look at that dark sky again.

"Everyone who just came in please head to the Infirmary to your left for a mandatory medical checkup!" She commanded, motioning her hands towards the corridor where the Infirmary. "I'll be with all of you shortly."

As the group of Pokemon headed towards the Infirmary, the fresh snow Pokemon looked at what was once the spacious lobby of the headquarters become a place filled dozens of Pokemon, the residents of Lively Town. They had all fled in terror to this building even before she and Ampharos teleported back here. Dark clouds had suddenly covered the area and before long, strange black creatures began invading and consuming anything that moved. She could still hear the shouting and crying from families pleading to wanting to go back outside and save their lost loved once. But even Faith knew that wouldn't be possible, she saw the blob creature absorbed a Milktank whole, and left nothing behind when finished, the sheer thought of it pained her immensely.

 _All those lives lost..._

Faith went around the headquarters checking on all the sixty three Pokemon that have taken refuge here, making sure that all of them weren't carrying any diseases of sorts that could spread. Her duty was also to hand out food to the evacuees from their storage supply, the only problem was that how were they going to feed sixty three Pokemon of various sizes with a food supply meant only for twelve members? Frustrated, the Glaceon sighed heavily as she was about to wipe the sweat of her face with her Frost Bow before stopping herself, wiping with her hands instead when she realized Ian wouldn't be pleased with how she's treating the bow.

 _Ian..._

Her heart ached the more she thought about Ian's whereabouts. It's been two days since the other groups left for their respective destinations, contacting them via Expedition Gadget proved fruitless as well. Nobody was answering, which led her to the grim conclusion.

 _They're all gone..._

Faith's heart sank with the sad realization of what happened. Once again, her colleagues, Ian, Pokemon that she began truly caring for once more, taken from her like dust in the wind. First it was Team Reviver, now it was the Expedition Society. Is her life plagued with nothing but tragedies? Was this Arceus's way of toying with her fragile emotions as nothing more than a cruel joke? It wasn't long before she realized tears dripping down her face, thankfully no one was paying attention to her for she didn't need the unwanted attention. She would rather mourn alone.

"Faith?"

The Glaceon turned around to see Ampharos looking at her with a look of concern on his face. She quickly wiped her eyes and turned back around, giving an innocent smile to the Chief.

"Is there something you need Chief?" Faith asked.

"...Where are the other leaders?" The lighthouse Pokemon asked back.

"They're in your office as requested."

"Good, I'll see to them now then. And uh, Faith?"

"Yes Chief?"

"Are you feeling alright?"

Faith's eyes widened at the sudden out of nowhere question from Ampharos. Was she really that easy to read?

"I-I'm fine Chief." She lied, not wanting to worry him. "Everything's good so far."

Ampharos shook his head. "Please do not lie to me Faith. It only hurts the both of us."

Faith stared blankly at the Expedition Society Chief who had begun to frown, it was as if the lighthouse Pokemon could sense the pain that was bottled up within her, causing him to feel visibly hurt as well. Faith composed herself for a brief moment before finally telling the truth.

"I... I can't handle this anymore Chief!" She broke down. "Every day I wake up to the news that someone had passed from that unknown disease! And I have to muster up the courage to inform their next of kin if they even have one! Day and night I hear the anguish cries of Pokemon missing their loved ones which only reminds me of those that I lost! And the other members? What if they're gone as well?! Everyone I care for always dies and I'm left alone all over again, leaving me nothing more than an emotional wreck! I- I just-"

Faith was interrupted when Ampharos pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly, taking her by surprise.

"I know that things seem hard right now." Ampharos quietly whispered. "But we can't give up now, everyone here is relying on us. The others members are counting on us as well, we'll find a way to bring them back, I promise."

The lighthouse Pokemon let go of Faith as she rubbed her slightly watered eyes, feeling slightly better.

"Now, let's get back to business, we got our work cut out for us."

"Yes Chief."

With a nod of reassurance from Ampharos, the Expedition Society doctor walked past him and continued on with her duties. Ampharos stood there silent for a few seconds watching Faith disappear among the crowd of evacuees before heading upstairs to his office to meet with the leaders from the other continents. He opened the door and entered as he found himself joining a rather heated conversation between multiple Pokemon.

"Squark! Inconceivable! Absolutely preposterous!" A Chatot exclaimed.

"Well, unless you have a better idea I would love to hear it!" Keldeo responded back.

"Keldeo, please try to remain calm!" Verizion said.

"Chatot, be friends with everyone!" Wigglytuff cheerfully said.

"This is getting us nowhere..." Scizor muttered.

"We can't be standing here twiddling our hands while the world is ending outside! I demand we take action immediately!" Shiftry exclaimed, slamming his leaf hands on the table in frustration.

"THAT'S ENOUGH EVERYONE!"

The room fell silent and everyone turned to the door to see Ampharos wearing a serious expression on his face. No one dared uttering a single word as the Expedition Society Chief made his way towards his desk and sat down behind it. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts before finally deciding to speak up.

"Ahem, firstly, I would like to formally apologize for suddenly bringing you here via Teleport Gem without consent." Ampharos said.

"You had your reasons Chief Ampharos," Verizion said, accepting his apology. "it would have taken too much time to send a letter and travel by sea here, time that it appears we do not have much of."

"Indeed, word came quickly from some flying type Pokemon that came from the Water Continent telling everyone about the place being enveloped in darkness and rumours of a giant hole in the sky above a mountain near a place called Serene Village." Scizor explained. Ampharos's ears twitched when he heard Serene Village mentioned, which peaked his curiosity.

"Serene Village? Are you absolutely sure about that?" He asked.

"That's what I've heard."

Ampharos clenched his fist tightly, troubled by the implications of this information, there was supposedly an artifact on Revelation Mountain. Was that somehow connected to the supposed mysterious hole in the sky?

Chatot flapped his wings impatiently. "Squark! Eyewitness reports from our Guild members said that a strange red creature was seen flying off the coast of Treasure Town, heading west."

"Lapras told us that he saw the red creature fly overhead him! Coming from the direction of the Water Continent!" Wigglytuff added.

Ampharos, taking mental notes from the descriptions, got up from his chair and made his way to his world map pasted by the side of wall and began marking down the locations with a pen. When he was finished, he placed the pen down and turned back to the others, standing steadfast.

"Ladies and gentlemen, with this danger having the potential of yet another world ending scenario, I would like to officially initiate the PEACE Accords procedure." Ampharos announced. Everyone widened their eyes for a brief moment, before all nodding in agreement. This was the first time since it's signing that the PEACE Accords is used. With the countless times that the world nearly ended in the past, it was finally decided that when there was danger on a global scale, everyone was going to help, no matter what. Their survival takes the highest priority above all.

"So what happens now?" Keldeo asked.

"We come together as one." Ampharos replied. "As per written in the Accords, we are to now pool our resources and fight this threat, we'll use the Teleport Gems to teleport everyone and everything we need here. Hopefully this thing could warp me to Alakazam so he can make more."

"Don't need to worry about that sir," Shiftry said with a pleased grin on his face. "I know where he lives and can paster him for ya."

"The Wigglytuff's Guild will send you all of our Guild friends to help out! Because friends help each other! YOOM-TAH!" Wigglytuff said.

"You'll have the backing of the Rescue Team Federation." Shiftry said.

"Same with the Exploration Team Federation." Scizor added.

"HAPPI along with the people of Post Town and Paradise will send all the resource you need to aid the evacuees." Verizion said.

Touched by their immediate incentive to help out, Ampharos bowed his head in thanks. "I appreciate all the help everyone. Now, let's us not waste anymore time! We have our work cut out for us."

* * *

"Hey, what's that over there?" Ian asked, pointing ahead.

Everyone looked ahead and also saw the thing that caught the mudfish Pokemon's eye, something sticking out from an alcove. It was barely visible due to it being covered in dirt, barely blending into the environment. Buizel was first to approach around the corner to investigate and was taken aback by what he discovered, the others caught up and had the same reaction as well to the sight that laid before them. A skeletal figure, one that look like no Pokemon they have ever seen before, laid motionless.

"What the heck is that?!" Bunnelby exclaimed.

Mawile gasped. "C-could it be...?!" She quickly brushed passed the group and began brushing the dirt off the skeleton, almost excitedly. Ian and the others were left confused as they silently watched Mawile dust off the remainder of the dust, revealing more of the skeletal figure. It's skull was circular in shape, it seemed to have two arms and two legs, eliminating the idea that it's a quadruped Pokemon. Mawile gasped once more and covered her mouth, presumably knowing what kind of Pokemon it was.

"Well Mawile? What is it?" Ian asked.

"Is it some kind of undiscovered Pokemon or something?" Gadget added.

"After all these years... is this where you all have been?" Mawile mumbled to herself, clearly paying no attention to the others.

"Mawile?" Dedenne called out.

"Decades... no MILLENNIUMS we spent wondering why you all disappeared without a trace, one of the world's greatest mysteries!"

"MAWILE!" Patience yelled, finally getting through to the deceiver Pokemon as she turned her head around in surprise. "What kind of Pokemon is that?"

"It's not a Pokemon..." Mawile replied quietly. "What we're looking at here is the skeletal remains of a human."

The group remained silent for what seemed like forever, processing Mawile's reply before responding the only way they could.

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!" They all screamed in unison. "A-are you sure about that?!" Linoone asked.

Mawile nodded. "Based on all the research I've done on humans, I'm a hundred percent positive."

Ian looked on in horrific silence at the skeleton before him, his mind suddenly bombarded with questions. Were there other humans in the Voidlands as well? What happened to them? Was this somehow connected to his past? Something related to the turning to stone incidents? The more he thought about it, the less answer he could come up, which only frustrated him.

"Is this... is this what happened to my past self?" Ian asked. "Is this why I somehow ended up in a world of talking Pokemon because every single human is dead?!"

Mawile shook her head. "I'm not going to jump to conclusions just yet. But it does finally partially answer the mystery of where the mythical humans of ancient past that worked with our ancestors disappeared to. Though I was hoping for a more... positive conclusion to this tale."

The group fell silent once more, still taking in the discovery of human remains and not knowing how to take in this information. It was awhile before something caught Patience's eyes, something partially covered by the skeleton's hand. The fire fox Pokemon walked up to it and moved the skeleton's hand, revealing what was hidden underneath. Scratches, etched into the ground that upon further inspection, revealed to be some form of writing.

"Well what do you know, nice find Pae." Ian said.

"These are... human lettering." Patience said as she brushed her hand against the writing, feeling the gaps in the ground. Whoever this skeleton was, the human had somehow scratched the floor presumably with their bare hands alone hard enough that the gaps in the floor were at least a few centimeters deep. As if desperate to get a message across to someone.

"I think it'll save us a lot time if you read it." Mawile said as she gestured towards the message. The Fennekin nodded and began deciphering the message. She read the message with a rather stoic look on her face as the others quietly watch her, minutes passed before Ian decided to ask her.

"What does it say?" He asked.

Patience began quoting the message. ' _If anyone is reading this, it means I am either dead or taken by those things. This is how the... ends. Our curiosity lead to Dark Matter killing everyone, I pray that those two will seal this monster once and for all.'_ "The message ends there."

"This human would win the award for most vague dying message ever..." Linoone said.

"I'm more curious about this 'Dark Matter' mentioned in the message." Mawile commented.

"I know I've heard it somewhere before, I just don't know where..." Ian muttered as he closed his eyes and attempted to recall where he heard the name 'Dark Matter' before. Soon enough, he finally recalled and opened his eyes in realization. "I got it!"

"Remembered something?" Gadget asked.

"When me and Faith were investigating Krookodile's house we found plenty of eerily written messages about 'Dark Matter' returning." Ian explained.

"Could all of this be linked to the turning to stone incidents and also the artifacts?" Mawile wondered.

"I think so," Ian added. "the artifact on Revelation Mountain opened up a portal of some kind in the sky when all the others were destro-"

"Who goes there?!" Bunnelby called out which immediately caught the attention of the group, turning around in an instant to see what caught the digging Pokémon's attention. In the distance, just about a few meters or so from them, stood a lone figure, clad in silver and had a helmet like head. It stood about less than two meters tall.

"Is that... a Bisharp?" Dedenne asked.

Linoone nodded. "It is, and I don't like the way he's just standing there, menacingly."

"Hey Linoone, you think that we should have him use that Void Shadow detection method of yours?" Patience asked.

"Most steel types don't bleed." Linoone said. "Sometimes it's hard to tell whether they're more metal than flesh."

"I'm standing right here!" Mawile exclaimed, offended by Linoone's words.

The group fell silent once more when they heard the clinking noises of metal scraping the ground. The Bisharp was now facing in their direction, but his head was looking downward, as of unaware of their presence.

"Yeeeeah... this is suspicious as hell." Ian whispered, the others nodding in agreement. "We should just leave and find another way."

"We can't." Mawile replied.

"What, why?"

"Have you forgotten Ian? We've been walking in a single path this entire time." Linoone said, the mudfish suddenly realizing that and facepalming. "Meaning that Bisharp is blocking our only way forward."

"Someone's got to tell him to move out of the way, with or without force." Gadget commentated, watching as the Bisharp began slightly twitching which startled everyone a little. Nobody wanted to be the one to call out the menacing Bisharp nor approach him. Everything pointed to the fact that he was most likely a Void Shadow, but there was still the ever slight chance that the Bisharp was a normal, probably traumatized Pokemon that needs help. No matter the issue, they needed to resolve it one way or another.

"I'll go." Bunnelby said, everyone else turning their head towards him in surprise. "Ian, make me an ice shard just in case."

The mudfish Pokemon hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded, using Ice Beam on his hand as he materialized a small but sharp ice shard for Bunnelby to hold. "Don't hurt yourself with the tip." He said as he passed the shard to Bunnelby.

"Be careful." Mawile advised.

The digging Pokemon nodded as he walked ahead of the group while the others watched quietly with bated breath, ready to book it if things didn't go their way.

"Hey! You there!" Bunnelby called out, as he lowered the shard as a sign of non aggression while slowly approaching the Bisharp. "Are you alright?"

The Bisharp simply twitched slightly in response, which made Bunnelby even more reluctant. "I'm Bunnelby from the Expedition Society, I would like you to please clear the way and join us so that we can get out of the Voidlands." The Bisharp continued to remain silent.

 _This gets unnerving the more I look at this guy..._ The digging Pokemon thought to himself as he continued his pace, until he was finally right up to the Bisharp. The sword blade Pokemon's head was hung low and his face not visible to Bunnelby, raising more flags of suspicion.

"Are you listening to me?" Bunnelby called out, his patience thinning. "Please clear the path you're blocking so that we can-"

The digging Pokemon was cut short when in a blink of an eye, the Bisharp reached out and grabbed him by the neck, suffocating him and dropping his ice shard in the process of struggling free. Bunnelby watched in agonizing terror as the Bisharp raised its head to reveal its true appearance. It's eye sockets were nothing more than a black void, it's mouth is nothing more than a low hung, gaping hole, black tendrils coming out from its 'mouth'.

"gOtCHa!" The Bisharp said, it's voice a mash of multiple voices combined and speaking as one, which only made the creature even more intimidating. Ian and the rest watched in horror at the sudden turn of events. Not wanting to lose Bunnelby, Ian rushed ahead and launched an Ice Beam at the Bisharp, immediately assuming that it's a Void Shadow. However, his attack didn't hit its intended target when a purple blob of another Void Shadow jumped in from somewhere and shielded the Bisharp, decimating it in an instant.

"You got to be kidding me!" Ian exclaimed, baffled with the Void Shadow's willingness to sacrifice itself to protect another of its kind. Before he could attempt another attack on the Void Shadow, several more dropped in from above and landed near Ian, surrounding him.

"IT'S A TRAP!" Mawile shouted as everyone quickly got into battle formation, ready for a fight. Patience however, wasn't keen on leaving her partner alone as she rushed forward towards Ian, the others following her.

"Ian!" She called out, gaining the attention of the mudfish Pokemon whose eyes widened in surprise. Not wasting a moment, he fired a barrage of Ice Beam shots at the three Void Shadow behind him, striking them directly. The ice slowly froze over the Void Shadow, rendering them completely immobile before Patience bulldozed her way through one of them, shattering the creature into pieces. Mawile and Gadget helped clear the other two Void Shadow with an Iron Head and Thundershock respectively, eventually grouping up with Ian to take out the ones in front of him. However, they were too late to save Bunnelby from his impending doom as the Void Shadow that disguised as a Bisharp began covering the digging Pokemon with its thick, purple body, Bunnelby hopelessly struggling free and his screams muffled by the creature. The group watched in horror as the last of Bunnelby's ears was consumed, his screams no longer present as the Void Shadow sank into the ground, disappearing from sight.

"BUNNELBY!" Dedenne screamed the loudest, clearly distraught with the loss of a friend. The others, shocked with what they had just witnessed, had no time to grieve as the threat of the other Void Shadows still remained. Linoone was first to react, rushing straight towards the Bisharp while charging a Shadow Ball attack with her tail. However instead of flinging it towards the Void Shadows, Linoone slammed the Shadow Ball straight into the ground, sending her flying over the Void Shadows and landing behind them. She then followed up with a Blizzard as a gust of icy wind froze the blob creatures solid. Ian and Gadget took the opportunity to both tackle the frozen creatures and shattering them to pieces. Leaving behind nothing more than pieces of ice scattered on the floor.

"Where did you learn to do that Linoone?" The mudfish Pokemon asked.

"I have my ways." She replied back. "I'm not just an average mother you kn- PATIENCE, ABOVE YOU!"

The fire fox looked up at what Linoone was referring to and saw yet another Void Shadow dropping in, this time directly above her. Patience's fear suddenly kicked in as she felt her body tense up and was unable to move. Just as the Void Shadow was about to slam into her and potentially consume her as well. A sudden force pushed her away from the creature just as it hits the ground. She lifted her head to see who had pushed her out of the way, but her mouth hung open when she saw a blue hand sticking out from the Void Shadow's body, a familiar blue hand.

"IAN!" She screamed in horror as she quickly rushed forward and grabbed hold of her partner's hand before it sank inside the Void Shadow's body, she gripped Ian's hand as tight as she possibly could, not letting go even as more Void Shadows dropped in around her and the rest of the group.

Ian, still conscious while stuck inside the Void Shadow, found himself in complete darkness, he couldn't open his eyes no matter how much he forced himself to. He felt a sudden immense amount of pressure pushing his body inwards, as if the blob creature was crushing him before being fully consumed. The slippery yet thick goo the Void Shadow was made of caused his skin to burn up the longer he remained in contact with it. He felt the warmth of Patience's tightly gripped hand as he held on as hard as he could, praying that someone was able to get him out without the need of freezing the Void Shadow and him.

"Hang on Ian! We'll get you out of there!" Patience's muffled voice reached Ian. The mudfish Pokemon could also hear the screams and explosions of a heated battle in the outside world. Though from the sounds of things, it didn't seem to be going well. Mawile was barking commands to the others while Dedenne was screaming furiously, clearly enraged by the loss of Bunnelby.

"Patience! It's too dangerous! You'll get pulled in as well!" Gadget called out, followed shortly by the sound of an electric attack.

"NO! I'M NOT LETTING MY PARTNER GO! I'M NOT LOSING HIM AGAIN!" Patience yelled back. Ian noticed the Fennekin's voice slightly cracking when she said 'again', her emotions clearly starting to get the better of her. Ian knew the fire fox Pokemon had already suffered enough with witnessing him slowly dying from his wounds before turning to stone, the realization that this could really be the end for him, that he was going to leave Patience alone if he were to die now.

 _No... not now._

With all his might, the mudfish Pokemon forced his left hand forward, pushing through the burning sensation of the Void Shadow's gooey interior to free his other hand. Slowly but surely, feeling as if the bones in his body could crack at any moment, he felt his left hand push out from the creature and the pressure exerted on parts of his hand suddenly disappeared. A few seconds later, he felt the warmth of Patience's other hand gripping his. All she could do now was to try and pull him out while the rest of the other Pokemon held off the other Void Shadows. Ian tried speaking, wanting to say something encouraging or snarky to Patience, ensuring her that he was okay. But no words came out, only the raspy gasp for air as the Void Shadow continued to press against his body, as if sucking the oxygen out of him.

 _Heart... pounding..._ He thought, pounding as if it was going to burst from his chest. Whether it was from the adrenaline, the pain, or even his fear creeping in, his mind began feeling hazy, the lack of air causing him to lose conscious. His journey ends here, leaving behind nothing but grief and sadness to those close to him, as his mind slowly drifted and he felt his hands let go of Patience's, the muffled cries of her voice the last thing he heard.

This is the end.

...

...

But the end never arrived, Ian didn't find himself waking up back at the Expedition Society as nothing more than a bad dream, nor did he find himself trapped in a never ending nightmare. He heard an unrecognizable muffled voice call out something and a few seconds later the sound of an object being cut. Before he knew it, parts of the Void Shadow fell of prematurely, the last part of the creature fell off. Light began to fill Ian's vision once more but his vision still a blur as he found himself still in a state confusion. His body screamed in pain, going completely numb as the mudfish Pokemon felt his legs wobble a bit shortly before succumbing to the pain and falling to the ground. Even though he could barely remain conscious, he could still hear what was happening around him.

"IAN!" He heard Patience's worried shout.

"We're getting you guys out of here!" An unknown male voice said.

"W-wait," Mawile said, as if she had just realize who the mysterious Pokemon was. "You're-?!"

"Yeah, but now's not the time for introductions." A female voice said.

"What about Dedenne?! We can't just leave her!" Patience said.

"She's gone into a blind rage, nothing's getting through to her!" Gadget responded.

"If we don't save her now she'll-!"

"More Void Shadows are on their way!" The male voice said. "If we don't leave now we'll be goners as well!"

No one said anything for what felt like an eternity, watching helplessly as Dedenne ferociously fought against two Void Shadows at once, constantly sidestepping an taking the occasional potshot Thunderbolt attack at one of them, doing nothing more than just stalling them.

Just then, more Void Shadows dropped in from above, all conversing on Dedenne, making it clear to the group that they should make a run for it. There was no way they would be able to save her from the onslaught of Void Shadows at the risk of losing even more of their group. Mawile, realizing the implications of this, knew that she was going to have to make the cruel but necessary sacrifice.

"Everyone move! We're getting out of here!" She barked.

"B-but Dedenne..." Patience muttered.

"I'm sorry Patience, but we have no choice." Linoone said.

"GO DAMNIT! I'LL HOLD OFF THESE THINGS WHILE YOU GET OUT HERE! IF I'M DYING HERE, I'M TAKING AS MANY OF THESE BASTARDS WITH ME!" Dedenne shouted to the group. Mawile nodded and quietly whispered something to herself before turning around and running, the others followed shortly.

Ian still laying motionless on the ground, felt someone lift him up and placing on the back of another Pokemon before having the feeling of being bounced up and down, indicating that they were running. Their fur felt unusually soft, despite being rigid and stiff at the same time. It was as if the mudfish Pokemon found himself lying on a bed of feathers. This soothed his mind as he felt his consciousness slowly drift away, finally fainting. The last thing he heard was Patience, whom she assumed was near the mysterious Pokemon, muttered something that he was barely able to pick up. He didn't know whether it was meant for Ian, Dedenne or herself, but nonetheless, she said in a crushing tone.

"I'm sorry..."


	76. Survivors

"No no no! You're going to burn the crust!" Dusknoir yelled in disbelief at one of his Sableye assistants, pulling him away from the clay oven filled with pastries.

"S-sorry boss! I wasn't paying attention!" The Sableye apologized. Dusknoir waved off the darkness Pokemon, accepting his apology as he pulled out the tray of evenly laid donut, sighing in relief that weren't burnt.

"Just remember to pay attention when baking." He said, placing the tray gently on a table. "We run a classy establishment you know."

"Yes boss!"

"Now go, we still have plenty to do."

The Sableye nodded and quickly rushed to the back of the building where the kitchen was situated, where the rest of the Sableye assistants were busy preparing dough. Dusknoir removed the chef hat he was wearing and quietly slumped back behind the counter, feeling exhausted.

 _Why did I think baking was my calling in life?_

The gripper Pokemon never intended to be a baker if he was to be honest. He would rather prefer to be a banker among other things, running his own bank and just store Poké seemed like a much easier job than this. All because his friend Grovyle complimented his donuts and suggested that he should turn it into a business. How little his past self knew about running a business.

 _Grovyle you fool..._

But still, this job does have it advantages, mainly putting food on the table for him and his Sableye assistants, literally and figuratively. The residents of Sahra Town and travelers also enjoy buying his many pastries, making him a rather popular attraction for the town, can't really complain when there's plenty of money coming in, he might even be able to just retire in a few years time.

 _Treasure Town would be a nice place to retire actually, as ironic as that is._

Interrupting his train of thought was the chiming of his door side bell, indicating that someone had entered, he stood up from behind the counter to greet the customer. Speak of the Giratina, for it was his regular customer and friend Grovyle who had just entered, behind him was a Pokemon he had not seen before around here, an Archen. Based on the unfamiliar badge pinned to his chest and what appeared to be an Exploration Bag slung across his shoulder, his first assumption was that he was part of an Exploration Team of sorts.

"Ah, Grovyle!" He happily greeted the wood gecko Pokemon. "I was wondering when you would be stepping in. The usual I presume?"

Grovyle raised his hand and shook his head. "I'm afraid no Green Donuts for awhile Dusknoir." He replied, a frown sprawled across his face. "Celebi's been getting on me for eating too many donuts, said I'm getting fat."

The gripper Pokemon burst into laughter at the response, taking Grovyle by surprise. "I honestly don't blame her, I don't have enough Grass Gummis to keep up with your orders! I think it was about time you get some exercise anyway!"

Grovyle, feeling slightly offended by the comment, was left flustered, avoiding eye contact with his old friend. Archen chuckled softly at the interaction between the two.

"Who's that fellow over there?" Dusknoir asked.

"This is Archen, a member of the Expedition Society from the Water Continent." Grovyle replied, the first bird Pokemon awkwardly waving back to greet him.

"Howdy."

"The Water Continent? You're a long way from home. What brings you all the way here?"

Archen began explaining to Dusknoir everything that he had told Grovyle earlier, his mission, what happened with Raikou and how he met Grovyle and Celebi.

"Yikes, that must have really hurt, my sympathies." Dusknoir eventually said after Archen had finished.

"I've been through worse." Archen responded back, recalling all the tiring and painful explorations he had went along with his parents many years ago. "So what's the story about you two? You seem like best friends."

The two Pokemon turned to look at each other when Archen mentioned them being best friends, they both had a look of uneasiness, as if they felt awkward about it.

"We had our... differences back when we first met." Dusknoir said, looking over at Grovyle once more.

"It's a long story but let's just say we've put that all aside after a life changing moment in our lives." Grovyle added.

"I see, in any case, Grovyle said you could help me with getting a message back to the Expedition Society?" Archen asked Dusknoir.

"Well, yes, I suppose you could say that." gripper Pokemon answered. "You're an Expedition Society member right? So must have an Expedition Gadget that I've heard so much about."

"What about my Expedition Gadget?"

Dusknoir turned to the back of the bakery and whistled loudly, a few seconds later four Sableyes came rushing out from the kitchen and stood in attention.

"Boss!" The Sableyes exclaimed in unison.

"If you could show me your Expedition Gadget. I'll show you how."

The first bird Pokemon dug into his Expedition bag and got out his Expedition Gadget. Upon closer inspection he realized that both the casing and screen had several cracks across the device. His best guess of the cause of the cracks was from his free fall off the Isle Of Light, he decided to make a mental reminder to ask Jirachi to get it fixed for him. He pressed the power button and was greeted to the familiar Expedition Society logo before switching to the blue menu screen with multiple options displayed.

USER ID: ARCHEN

MAP [ ]

CONNECTION ORB [ ]

LOGS [ ]

COMMUNICATOR [ ]

Archen presses on the communion option and the screen switched to display multiple Expedition Gadget symbols, with the name of each other the Expedition Society members displayed next to them. He was about to call one of the other members but stopped himself. Even though he felt a sense of uneasiness regarding the wellbeing of his colleagues, the fact of the matter was that the Chief takes top priority. Beneath the lost of names, a message in bright red was the thing that concerned him the most.

 _NO ELECTRICITY DETECTED, PLEASE REQUEST THE ASSISTANCE OF DEDENNE OR ANY NEARBY ELECTRIC TYPE POKEMON TO RELAY MESSAGES_

"If I were to take a guess, your Expedition Gadget uses electricity to send and receive messages across long distance correct?" Dusknoir asked.

"That's correct, but how did you know that?"

"Both the Rescue and Exploration Team Federations have been improving on their Team Badges to make it an all-purpose device for any situation." Grovyle explained. "Such things like long distance communication and a real time map are just the first steps, there's even rumours that they're trying to make the badge a functioning portable camera as well. Can you believe that?"

Archen merely grunted to acknowledge the wood gecko Pokemon's ramblings, as much he was intrigued with the technology that keeps getting more and more advanced by the day, he still had a task to do. "Anyway, the Sableyes..."

"Right right, of course." Dusknoir said, aware of his impatience. "If you would, my assistants."

"Yes Boss!" The Sableyes said in unison. The three Pokemon's red gem embedded in their chest began cackling a faint glow of yellow, the familiar noise of static electricity emitting from the gem. It wasn't long before Archen realized what they were trying to do. He extended out his wing while holding the Expedition Gadget, making sure that the Shock Wave hits the device. A few seconds later, small bursts of electricity shot out from the Sableyes and landed directly at the Expedtion Gadget sides. Archen checked the screen once more and noticed the red coloured message was now replaced with a blue one.

 _SUFFICEINT ELECTRICITY DETECTED. AWAITING COMMANDS._

"All right!" He exclaimed in excitement as he immediately pressed the prompt to call Ampharos. He placed Expedition Gadget to his heat and waited patiently as the device softly beeped in an attempt to reach the Chief's device in... wherever he was right now. He waited for what seemed like forever with his breath held tightly in anticipation, until suddenly, he heard static coming from the other end of the receiver.

"Ar...can...me?" The garbled but familiar voice of the Expedition Society Chief came from the speakers of the Expedition Gadget.

"I need more power!" Archen ordered the Sableyes. Acknowledging the request, the three launched a higher ampere of electricity into device, making doubly sure not to hit Archen for the increasing intensity of the electricity was starting to make him worry. When the Sableyes has finished, he placed the device to his ear once more. "Chief, can you help me? This is Archen calling, please respond!"

"Archen! Thank Arceus you're alright!" Ampharos's voice came through, much more audible now. The first bird Pokemon breathes a sigh of relief, it was good to hear a familiar voice again. "What's your status report?"

Archen recalled everything that transpired with group B and their exploits, from Raikou turning into stone, to the identities of three Beheeyems being part of a larger group of culprits responsible for all this.

"I see... I'm sorry to hear about Swirlix and Bunnelby." Ampharos said. Although the time of his voice sounded stoic and calm, Archen noticed the slight hint of sadness in his voice, secretly mourning the lost of two of his members.

"How are things on your end?" The first bird Pokemon asked.

"Me and Faith managed to escape Frosty Forest after being ambushed by a Granbull." Ampharos explained, the Granbull most likely part of the group as well. "Mawile... stayed behind to cover our escape."

"I see..." was all Archen managed to respond with. Both of them knew full well the implications of her fate, which only hurt Archen even more with members dropping left and right in a flash. He knew the other members of the Expedition Society for quite a few years already, the time spent laughing, comforting and exploring together, it made them more than just colleagues, but almost like a second family. Losing them only made it feel like losing an actual flesh and blood family member, which saddened Archen further.

 _Keep it together Archen... you can't give up now._

"What's going on your end Chief?"

"Something big has happened in the Water Continent, a large hole has opened up in the skies above Revelation Mountain."

"Revelation Mountain? Isn't that where Ian, Patience and Gadget were going?!"

Archen heard the grunts of Ampharos through the Expedition Gadget, acknowledging his question. "Yes, whatever happened over there caused something big, the entire continent is shrouded in darkness because of that giant hole. There's... also been sightings of strange blob like creatures that consumes Pokemon whole and leave nothing behind. It has sent the people of Lively Town into a state of panic and they have evacuated to the Expedition Society Headquarters. It's a real mess here."

Archen couldn't imagine what was it like back at home right now. From the way the Chief was explaining, it felt like something he would only see in his nightmares, ones that would probably keep him awake at night.

He took a deep breath and exhaled to recompose himself. "What are my orders Chief?"

"Get back here as soon as possible." Ampharos replied, back to his more serious tone. "We need all the help we can get if we wish to overcome this crisis. If possible, find some Pokemon that are willing to assist us in Sahra Town too."

"Roger that."

"Then I'll see you soon then, good luck and stay safe! Ampharos out!"

The sound of static greeted Archen once more, as he turned off his Expedition Gadget and placed it back into his bag, a look of newfound determination sprawled across his face, his mission was clear.

"So, how did it go?" Dusknoir asked.

"Firstly, thank you kindly for your help, I really appreciate it." Archen said as he turned to face the Sableyes nodding at them in appreciation. The three Pokemon smiled back in return. "Secondly, do you have any fast water type Pokemon that can take me back to Lively Town?"

"Celebi has a friend over by the docks who can help." Grovyle replied.

"Good, I also want you all to come with me to Lively Town."

"I beg your pardon?" Dusknoir exclaimed in confusion. "Why do you need us to come?"

"I'll explain on the way, right now I need to get some supplies from the Kecleon Shop... you know where it is right?"

"Yes."

"I'll go get Celebi too then." Grovyle said as he quickly rushed out of the bakery, leaving Archen and Dusknoir behind. Dusknoir then turned to the kitchen and let out a loud whistle, a few seconds later a dozen Sableyes came rushing out, lining up in an orderly manner in front of Dusknoir.

"Boss!" The twelve Sableyes yelled in unison. Archen was left speechless at how obedient these Sableyes were to Dusknoir, such stoic and no nonsense behaviour was to be commended.

"I would like you all to temporary take over this bakery!" The gripper Pokemon proudly announced, to the shock and confusion of his subordinates.

"B-but are you sure you can trust us with the bakery Boss?" One of the Sableye's asked nervously.

"I've seen you all come from nearly burning the store down to being able to bake the best donuts in the continent! My trust in all of you is well placed."

The Sableyes mouth hung open for a few good seconds, unsure as to how to process what Dusknoir had just said. The emotions on their faces seemed like a mix of flustered and confused, as if it was the first time they've been complimented this greatly. Still nervous, the Sableyes all exclaimed in unison.

"WE WON'T LET YOU DOWN BOSS!"

Dusknoir gave a nod of approval before turning back to Archen. "Shall we head out?"

The first bird Pokemon nodded. "If you would please show me the way to the local Kecleon Shop first that would be most appreciated."

"Then let us make haste! For time is of the essence!" Dusknoir exclaimed proudly as he floated out the entrance while Archen followed after him. As he left the bakery he looked behind to see the Sableyes all happily waving their master goodbye, wishing them a safe journey. His mind continued to linger on the three Pokemon that have helped him so far, Grovyle, Celebi and Dusknoir. All of them intriguing in their own way but also the help he definitely needed for what unthinkable dangers that laid back in the Water Continent.

 _These three would make really fine Expedition Society members._

* * *

Dark, empty, dreadful, that was what he could best describe the place he had found himself standing in. He didn't know how he got here, let alone even why he was here in the first place. He tried recalling but his mind felt hazy and only led to a throbbing pain in his head.

 _Why am I here?_ He thought to himself as he mindlessly stared at the empty void that stood before him. No matter how much he walked forward, the more he felt as if he wasn't making any progress with the lack of direction.

"Ian..."

A voice, almost a whisper, graze past his ear like a soft gust of wind. He knew the identity of the voice, breaking immediately into a dash in the direction of the voice.

 _Patience..._

He wasn't sure what suddenly compelled him to chase after her voice, was it the comforting feeling of hearing someone familiar in a place so unsettling and alien? No, it was something more than that. It was an indescribable feeling that he always felt when he thinks of Patience. Companionship? Or something more?

His train of thought was interrupted when in a blink of an eye, the dark void he was in change to familiar location, the corridors of the Expedition Society.

 _H-how did I...?_

It was then that the realization suddenly hit him, the reason behind all these strange occurrences. He was dreaming yet again. He should have realized it sooner, considering the fact he had experienced dreams like this multiple times in the past, all of them had ended in unpleasant encounters with something horrifying, it had always gotten the better of him.

 _Not this time!_

The mudfish Pokemon paced himself through the corridor until he reached his room. Curious as to what he might find behind the door in his dream, he decided to open the door only to be greeted by... another door.

 _What...?!_

He pulled open the second, to be greeted by a third. Then again, and again, and again, and again, until he eventually gave up and stopped. It was clear that his room was not of any importance here. Turning back to the corridor, he continued walking all the way to end towards the one room that held some importance to him.

 _The Infirmary._

Arriving at the door to the Infirmary, he gently pushed open the door, hoping to find the Pokemon he was hoping for there. Sure enough, his eyes made contact with the cyan blue fur of Faith standing idly by a table, reading.

"Back so soon?" Faith asked.

Ian shrugged nonchalantly. "You know me, always risking my life for others."

The representation of Faith scoffed, clearly unamused of the mudfish Pokémon's response. "At this rate we're going to die in less than a year."

"I assure you I'll make it two years."

The fresh snow Pokemon chuckled as she turned around and faced Ian. The two gave each other a warm smile.

"I suppose it's about time for you to wake up then." She said.

"Yep, guess I just got to wait until I-"

The mudfish Pokemon was cut off when a deep, loud growling noise pierced his ears, causing him to cover them and squint in pain at the agonizing sound. It sounded like a kind of Pokemon growl but was heavily distorted, turning it into something nightmarish and incomprehensible. When the mudfish Pokemon regained his senses, he horrified to discover Faith had completely changed in appearance. Her eyes were nothing but a dark purple void, her jaw was crooked and disfigured, both leaking out a disgustingly thick black sludge.

"iAnNNnnnNnNnnnn!" 'Faith' exclaimed in a demonic voice. "yOu cAnNot eSCaPe yOur PAsT!"

"Who are you?! And why do you keep saying that?!" The mudfish Pokemon asked back. He has heard the voice tell him that so many times in his dreams, yet it still baffles him as to its true meaning. Having no recollection of his past human self only complicates matters. What exactly happened back then? What has he done to deserve this?

"hAVe yOU ALreAdY fOrgOtTen?" 'Faith' asked. "I aM YoUr gREaTeSt SiN! A fAiLuRe oF yOuR pASt!"

"What even is my past? Who am I?!" Ian asked the imposter Faith, although he was only responded with a maniacal laugh.

"yOu WIiL fInD oUT soOn ENouGh."

After saying that, Faith began fading from sight, eventually disappearing. Leaving the mudfish Pokemon confused and scared. Just then, the room began to shake violently as cracks began forming on the walls of the Infirmary, a bright white light seeping through from it. The walls soon collapsed as the mudfish Pokemon was blinded by the white light as he felt consciousness returning back to him once more.

 _Back to the world of the living._

* * *

Ian's eyes snapped open as he quickly got up on his feet breathing and sweating heavily. He felt his heart pound relentlessly as he regained his bearings and allowed himself to calm down.

"Ian!"

He heard the familiar voice of Patience come from behind as he turn around and saw the fire fox Pokemon run up towards him and pulling him into a hug, catching him off guard. After awhile, Patience let go of her grasp on Ian.

"For the love of Arceus Ian, you really need to stop having so many close calls like this..." Patience said annoyingly.

The mudfish Pokemon gently stroked the Fennekin's head, annoying her for a few seconds before she gave in, feeling comforted by the head rub as her tail waggled unintentionally. "Well, I had to save you after all, you would have been Void Shadow food without me."

Patience pushed her partner's hand off her head when she had enough. "I know, it's just... I should moved out of the way myself. If I didn't froze up like that you wouldn't have been hurt."

"Hey now, I'm fine now, that's all that matters now. Anyway, where the heck are we?"

The mudfish Pokemon took a quick glance at the room he woke up in. It was a small, cramped rocky room felt more like a gap in a wall rather than a room. The entrance that Patience entered from had pieces of broken rock sticking out from it, as if it was blown apart and in turn creating this gap.

"Not sure if you knew, but two other Pokemon came to our rescue just as we were about to be overwhelmed by Void Shadows. Unfortunately..." Patience frowned for a moment as she avoided the mudfish Pokemon's gaze. "Dedenne, she stayed behind..."

Ian clenched his hands tightly, clearly upset about Dedenne being left behind. Two Expedition Society members gone just like that.

 _Damnit..._

"Anyway, the two Pokemon that saved us, apparently they're really well known explorers according Mawile." Patience explained. "They brought us here where there are plenty of other survivors just like us who have been turned into stone."

The mention of other survivors caught the mudfish Pokemon's attention. Just how many more survivors did Patience meant? Tens? Hundreds? Thousands? How long has Nuzleaf and his group been turning Pokemon into stone? How many have been trapped here fighting for their lives for who knows how long, hoping to find a way out of here? Ian didn't even want to think about it.

Just then, Ian heard sounds coming from the entrance and focused his attention on it. Soon, a red, bird-like Pokemon entered the room. It had white and red arms, a white upper body with a blue triangular marking on its chest. It had triangular ears and a small, red feminine like face with a white pentagon in the middle. It didn't take long for Ian to realize who it was.

"A-aren't you Latias?"

"Wow, you know who I am?" The softly spoken but gentle voice of Latias said. "You're one smart Mudkip!"

"Well, we were the ones who found your stoned body after all." Patience butted in.

"Yes I suppose that's true as well." She said. "So how are you feeling, um..." Latias trailed off, not knowing the mudfish Pokemon's name.

"Ian, nice to meet you." He responded fairly quickly.

"Ian!" Latias repeated excitedly. "Such a lovely name!" The eon Pokemon smiled sweetly at the mudfish Pokemon, which caught him off guard with how gentle the smile was. Something about it that looked... cute.

"And the two of us make the Hydroflames!" Patience proudly said as she pulled Ian to her side, looking high and mighty while the mudfish Pokemon simply looked on unamused.

"You two sure are close huh? I feel envious." Latias trailed off into a whisper, twiddling her hands.

"What's the matter? Something on your mind?" Ian asked.

Latias waved her hand back telling the two to follow her. Ian and Patience both complied as they followed Latias out of the room, unsure as to where they were going. The three walked silently through a narrow corridor in silence. Latias eventually spoke up and continued the conversation.

"My brother, Latios..." She said. "For as long I remember, I always felt so... distant from him. He's always so busy doing delivery jobs across the world that we don't even have time for each other. And being a Legendary Pokemon living on an isolated island far from any civilization, there's no one else to really interact with. It's just me, my thoughts and the berry farms, it gets really lonely... Even now, Latios is busy taking care of the other survivors and I hardly even see him. It seems selfish of me to complain but sometimes I feel like I hardly even know my brother."

The eon Pokemon stopped in her tracks, Ian and Patience followed as well. The two noticed her rubbing her eyes and shaking her head in a rather frustrated manner, before turning to face them with the usual smile on her face.

"So what about you? Is there anyone that means a lot to you?" She asked.

"N-no," Ian replied. "I don't think anyone would like me that much."

"That's funny," Patience commented. "you say that but I always catch glimpses of you heading to the Infirmary when you have the cha-"

Patience's sentence was cut short when her partner suddenly grabbed her by the cheeks and began pinching and stretching it.

"WELL LOOKIE HERE! I THINK I SEE SOME DUST ON YOUR CHEEKS MY DEAR FRIEND! LET ME GET THAT OFF YOU!" Ian snakily yelled as Patience yelped in pain and tried struggling free of the mudfish Pokemon's tight grip. Eventually Ian let go of the fire fox Pokemon cheeks as she held her cheeks in pain and stuck her tongue out at Ian, to which simply scoffed. Latias giggled in amusement at the two partner's interactions with each other. The three then continued walking through the narrow pathway, eventually entering a larger circular room, packed with dozens of other Pokemon. Many of them adults, but some were children, which deeply troubled Ian and Patience. Some of them look like they could be around their age, having to experience such a nightmarish ordeal at such a young age, it was too much to think about.

"Welcome to our save haven in the Voidlands, an underground cave. Population, about two hundred and fifty Pokemon." Latias said.

"T-two hundred and fifty?!" Ian exclaimed, loud enough that several Pokemon turned to his direction. The mudfish Pokemon heard hushed whispers between a few of the Pokemon.

"Come on, your friends are over here." Latias said as she lead Ian and Patience into the adjacent room on the left. Inside, the three were greeted to a room full of Pokemon all gathered around at the front of the room, the mummers indicated that they were discussing about something. Before long, Ian and Patience noticed Mawile, Gadget and Linoone at the far side of the room, looking curiously at some inscriptions on the wall. The two soon noticed the Hydroflames and waved them over, which they complied. Latias, on the other hand, waved Ian and Patience off before leaving the room.

"Good to see back on your feet Ian." Mawile said with a reassuring smile, before returning back to her stoic look once more. "I'll cut right to the chase. Good news is that there's actually a way out of the Voidlands, bad news is that it's not going to be easy."

"Always a catch isn't it?" Ian remarked. "So what's with the writings on the wall?"

"More human writings, we already deciphered it but Mawile told me you could read this easily?" Linoone said.

Ian and Patience both nodded.

"Then go ahead and read it for yourself then."

The two complied as they both approached the wall to examine it. It wasn't long before they began to read it out loud.

" _Twenty seven... Fe-bru-ary?"_ Patience read, not knowing what that word meant but continued anyway. " _Two, zero, one, eight_."

" _-didn't return, I have to assume the worst that those things got to him. I'm making my way up Reverse Mountain to activate the portal. If you're reading this, follow the path through the tunnels to reach the base of the mountain."_ Ian finished reading the rest.

"Not sure how this human had the time to carve out this lengthy of a message into a stone wall but what do I know?" Gadget commented.

"Wait, Reverse Mountain." Ian pondered our loud. "Do they mean-?"

"Yes, the tallest structure in the Voidlands."

The group turned towards the direction of the voice and noticed someone approaching their way. He was a tall, dark blue Pokemon. With sharp blue ears and frog-like feet. Ian noticed that there was something red wrapped around his neck. Upon closer inspection, he was mortified to discover that the thing wrapped around the dark blue Pokemon's neck was his tongue. Standing next to the dark blue frog was a pale white fur Pokemon, with a rather small face and a curved horn on its head.

"Ah, I believe you two haven't met yet." Mawile said. "Ian, this is Greninja and Absol of the renowned Team Orion, the best of the best in the Grass Continent."

"So, you're the human Mawile spoke off?" Greninja asked in a serious tone.

"Yes I am."

"Good, then let's get down to business then. Walk with me."

Greninja turned his back towards the group and began walking past the other Pokemon in the room. The white horned Pokemon waved them over to follow as they reluctantly complied.

"Don't mind Greninja's no nonsense attitude. He's just under a lot of stress as of late." The white Pokemon said with a feminine voice.

"And who might you be?" Ian asked.

"Oh my apologies, I haven't even introduced myself yet. My name is Absol, and I'm Greninja's partner in crime."

"So where are we headed?" Patience asked.

"Up top." Absol answered, leading the group through a narrow corridor that slopes upward. "Your two friends are there scouting the route ahead."

"Wait, when you say two do you mean...?"

"A 'Jirachi' and 'Swirlix', I believe those were their names."

Ian heard Mawile breathe a sigh of relief when she heard Jirachi and Swirlix's names. The mudfish Pokemon felt a sense of relief as well, knowing that the missing Expedition Society members in the Voidlands were finally accounted for.

 _Wait..._

It was at that moment he felt something. A sudden heightened reaction to his environment as he felt his head fin shiver slightly, his heart suddenly beating faster and an unweary sense of paranoia overflowing. He felt as if someone was watching him, a pair of sharp gazes that pierces his very instinct.

"Who goes there?!" He yelled back at the path behind him. The rest of the group stopping and looking back to see what the commotion was. Patience worriedly approached her partner to check on him.

"What's wrong? Was someone following us?" She asked. That was the exact question the mudfish Pokemon was asking himself right now. Was there really someone following them? He honestly couldn't tell anymore.

 _Am I slowly losing it?_

"I-it's nothing, I think the Voidlands is slowly getting to me..." He replied.

The fire fox Pokemon pat him in the back. "Don't push yourself too hard alright? Let's get going."

Ian nodded as took one last look at the empty corridor before him before turning back around and continued walking with the group. The others gave a look of concern for a brief moment before they continued walking towards the surface to meet Jirachi and Swirlix.

* * *

Little did they know however, was that Ian wasn't far from the truth when it came to someone shadowing them. As a lone figure peeked out from a wall to see the group of Pokemon walking away from it. That was too close for comfort. The figure had to wait for another chance to strike. It had to inform the others to take note of the blue Pokemon, for he was the only one that somehow noticed it's presence even though it was basically impossible to do so when it could blend in with the environment. The Pokemon in blue was special, and also a threat.

 _nOt NoW..._

After informing the others about its observation, the lone figure headed back towards the sanctuary of surviving Pokemon to maintain its cover. The others would get suspicious if they find it missing. It was only a matter time before they join with the others, before they strike.

But for now, it is nothing more than a lost, parentless child.

* * *

A/N: Hey now, it's been awhile huh? Well I can explain for the very long delay. The reason is because I've been working at a part time job for the past two months that kept me from writing. Another reason was because I had a minor case of writer's block, finding it hard to even write this very chapter and fill out certain scenes.

With that said, I'll sign off now! I'll see you all in the next chapter!


	77. Pyrrhic Victory

"We would have to climb ALL the way up there?!" Swirlix asked.

"It appears that would be the case," Jirachi answered As he looked onwards at the towering rock structure not far from them, a beam of light shooting up from the summit towards a giant hole in the sky. The wish Pokemon had seen the towering structure as soon as when he and Swirlix woke up in this strange land. Heading there as their destination, it eventually led them to a surprise meet up with a group of other Pokemon led by a Greninja. He had explained that they were trapped in the 'Voidlands', a place where Pokemon end up when they have been turned to stone. Jirachi found the explanation rather hard to believe however. While he did not fancy the thought that his real body was lying motionless in an active volcano, he also found it hard to believe how he and so many others were still able to move their bodies despite being turn to stone.

 _A conundrum indeed..._ Jirachi thought to himself.

"Someone's coming out from the entrance!" Swirlix exclaimed to Jirachi. The wish Pokemon suppresed his pondering for another time as he turned around towards the hole in the ground that led to the sanctuary. True enough, a few seconds later Greninja and Absol came walking out from the hole. However they weren't the only ones, as shortly another Pokemon exited from the hole that Jirachi immediately recognized.

"Mawile?!" He exclaimed in surprise. Soon after, Ian, Patience, Gadget and a Linoone exited from the hole as well.

"Jirachi, Swirlix, I'm glad to see the both of you," she said, approaching the two Expedition Society members and patting them both on the back.

"I'm glad to see you all as well," Jirachi said. "but that would mean you all have been turned to st- GOOD ARCEUS, IAN WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR CHEST?!"

Ian was confused for a moment to what Jirachi had meant but quickly realized he meant the gaping stab wound in his chest. "Oh this?" he said. "It's a long story. A very... painful one." He averted his gaze as Jirachi noticed a frown forming on his face. "Don't worry though, the wound doesn't hurt for now."

"I... see." Jirachi said, still unable to avert his gaze from the wound.

"What's the situation at the Spire?" Greninja asked.

The wish Pokemon shook his head disapprovingly. "Not good I'm afraid. The Void Shadows have been acting rather erratically lately, grouping up near the base of the Spire as if prepared for something."

The ninja Pokemon crossed his arms and nodded, lost in thought. His partner Absol occasionally glanced at him, waiting to see what he will do next as leader of the group.

"I'm not entirely sure," he admitted. "We're in kind of a stalemate here. It's too dangerous to go investigate the Spire. But the longer we remain idle in the sanctuary, the higher the risk those Void Shadows will catch us."

Mawile raised her hand which caught Greninja's attention. "Yes Mawile? Do you have a question?"

"I do, actually," she said. "Do you know what's the significance of the strange portal at the summit of the Spire?"

The ninja Pokemon shook his head. "We're not sure what it does or where it even leads to."

"To tell you the truth, that portal only appeared recently," Absol continued. "A few days ago, a massive tremor shook our underground sanctuary. When we went up to the surface to investigate, that was when we saw the giant, intimidating hole floating above the Spire's summit. According to both Latios and Latias, who had flown as close to the portal as they could, the two claimed to have seen dozens of Void Shadows float up into the portal and enter it, never to be seen again."

"This clearly indicates that it's some sort of one-way portal that leads to somewhere," Greninja continued. "Where it goes, however, we still don't know."

"I don't suppose any of you have seen a giant portal like this back in the real world, have you?"

Patience looked up at the hole once more as she remained in deep thought. There was something about the hole in the sky that seemed oddly familiar to her. The bright white center, the clouds that seem to spiral around. It was then it finally clicked. "Of course!" She exclaimed in realization. "We've seen something similar before!"

"We did?" Linoone asked as she tilted her head.

"No, I mean me and Ian! When we were up on Revelation Mountain, Nuzleaf activated some kind of human device with Ian's blood which then fired some kind of beam into the sky and caused a giant hole to appear! Similar to the one right above us!"

"What?!" Mawile exclaimed in shock. "Are you telling me that-?!"

"There's a similar looking portal at the summit of Revelation Mountain?!" Jirachi finished the question. "And it's caused by a human made machine?!"

The fire fox Pokemon nodded.

"But is that even possible?" Swirlix asked. "I know some psychic type Pokemon are able to open small portals to travel but a portal this big must have taken a lot of energy!"

"Who knows what humans were capable of back when they were still around? We know so little of them," Mawile said.

"I can't help but be impressed if that were true, even for an amnesiac ex-human like me," Ian added.

"Wait..." Linoone said. Suddenly realizing something, her facing slowly turning pale. "If the Void Shadows were entering the portal, and said portal is possibly the one at Revelation Mountain..."

The rest of the group immediately caught on to the implication. A chill ran down everyone's back as they realized in horror what this meant.

The Void Shadows have entered their world.

Greninja was first to break the silence as he turn to face his partner. "Oh no no no! Absol! Gather everyone at the main chamber immediately!"

"Aye." Absol quickly turned back around and ran back through the entrance, the rest of the group taking one last look at the Spire before following after her.

The stakes had suddenly increased. They were now on a race against time to find their way home before there wasn't one left to return to.

* * *

Ian never really enjoyed large crowds. He wasn't sure whether that was the case back he was still a human. But as a Mudkip, he has trouble with groups of Pokemon packed tightly together. The main chamber of the sanctuary was so enclosed, it barely fit all of the survivors, pushing everyone into a tight squeeze with constant nudging and pushing among the crowd. But here he was, standing next to Greninja and the others with over two hundred pair of eyes staring back in curiosity of the sudden meeting call. He couldn't help but feel nervous with so many Pokemon looking at him.

"What's the deal Greninja?" A blue-winged Pokemon, sporting similar body features as Latias asked. It didn't take someone as smart as Jirachi to figured that he was Latios. "You've put us all in a rather... uncomfortable position with this meeting call." As if on cue, Latios felt someone nudge him from behind, trying to make space.

"Everyone!" Greninja called out in an authoritative tone, everyone turning their attention to him. "I've called you all here today because we believe that we may have discovered a way out of the Voidlands."

The crowd murmured anxiously over Greninja's words. "Is that really true?" A Pokemon in the crowd asked. "He can't be joking... right?"

Greninja shook his head. "I am not one for jokes. We have reason to believe that the portal that opened up at the top of the Spire is the only way out of the Voidlands."

"And how are we so sure that it takes us back?" Latias asked. "All me and Latios saw were Void Shadows entering the portal. We don't even know where it leads!"

"We might have an explanation for that." Mawile said as she began tracing the dirt wall with her finger to make a drawing. "According to Ian and Patience, a human-made device was activated at the summit of Revelation Mountain, creating a giant portal."

Ian winced at the recollection of events that took place up there. It hurts him to think that Nuzleaf, the one who had taken care of him for the short time he stayed in Serene Village, the one he had looked up to as a sort of father figure in this unknown world. Turned out to be one of the culprits involved in mercilessly turning Pokemon into stone, sending them to this dreadful world to suffer at the hands of creatures beyond anything they ever imagined. The thought of it ached him greatly.

Why Nuzleaf...? Why did you... hurt me...

"So you're saying that these two portals are somehow connected?" A red and white sphere-looking Pokemon asked.

"It's the likeliest theory Electrode," Absol answered. "And it's the only one that makes sense."

"So that's why I've decided we're going to take this opportunity," Greninja added. "We're all going to climb up the Spire and enter the portal ourselves."

The crowd stirred back to life once more, their voices raising as the other survivors muttered their concerns of this idea. "Are you out of your mind?!" A very grumpy sounding Stantler exclaimed. The gruffness in his voice indicated that he was old. "We have over two hundred other Pokemon here and an infinite amount of those devilish monsters outside! What makes you so confident about this ludicrous theory of yours? Who's to say it doesn't just lead to another part of the Voidlands crowded with even more of those Void Shadows that will consume us all?!"

Greninja, visibly taken aback by the Stantler's argument, remained silent as he quietly stared back at the big horn Pokémon's cockiness. He noticed a few other Pokemon nodding their heads in agreement with Stantler. Absol was about to step in to Greninja's defense when he suddenly stopped her with his hand and shook his head, telling her without words that he could handle this on his own, to which the disaster Pokemon hesitantly nodded and backed out. The ninja Pokemon took a few steps forward towards the Stantler, the tension in the room slowly beginning to heat up.

"I understand your concerns Stantler. Infact, I agree with you." Greninja's rebuttal took everyone by surprise, even Stantler, who did not expect that answer from him. "But answer me this if you can: What else can we do? There's nothing else for us out there but death. Sooner or later the Void Shadows will find this place and that will be the end for us all! To those that are still conflicted, you can stay, I won't stop you. But to those who are willing to take the risk, raise your hands."

A few Pokemon raised their hands in agreement. Soon after, half a dozen more followed, then a dozen, then a few dozen eventually everyone in the room had their hands raised high in agreement with Greninja's decision. The only exception being Stantler, who looked around nervously for being singled out, and Electrode, who didn't in fact have hands to raise. Instead simply nodding his head in approval. Ian, as well as Patience and the others, had also risen their hands supporting Greninja's risky decision of setting off towards the portal above the Spire. The mudfish Pokemon couldn't help but feel impressed with Greninja's leadership skills. Serious and to the point, his words felt as if they could physically shake Pokemon to their very core if need be. Ian envied that attitude, it made him question his own abilities as leader of The Hydroflames.

Am I able to lead a bunch of strangers, who know nothing of me when the time comes? Would people even take a kid like me seriously?

Eventually, Stantler, being the only one who hasn't risen his hand in agreement, admitted defeat as he sucked up his pride and extended his hoof up as well. "Alright, you win..." he muttered under his breath.

Greninja nodded. "Thank you. Now, if there aren't any objections, we'll leave immediately for the Spire. Everyone meet up above ground in five minutes time, it's a long journey ahead of us, but if we stick together, we can do i-"

"Hey! What the heck are you doing?!"

The sudden raised voice that came from the back of the room turned everyone's heads to see what the commotion was. The voice had came from a Boldore, who seemed to be shaking his leg free of something. Upon closer inspection, it was a light blue slug like Pokemon with yellow stripes across its back. It was slithering up one of Boldore's leg, which from the expression of the ore Pokemon was causing him great discomfort. The blue slug Pokemon was also growling unnaturally, which unsettled everyone.

"Shellos!" A female voice said from the crowd. Soon after, a short, yellow bipedal Pokemon ran up towards Boldore.

"Mienfoo!" The Boldore exclaimed. "What's with him today? It's like as if he's completely changed after coming back from the surface."

"He WHAT?!" Greninja exclaimed in horror, hastily brushing past the crowd to see the Shellos in question. "Where are his parents?"

The Mienfoo frowned at the mention of Shellos's parents. "He was all by himself when we found him wandering the Voidlands a few weeks ago. He said his parents were taken by the 'scary monsters'."

"Poor child..." Linoone muttered quietly to herself.

"You said something about him coming back from the surface?" Gadget asked from across the room. "You don't mean...?"

"One day he said he could hear the voices of his parents outside and wanted to go find them. I tried to stop him but... h-he left when we were all asleep and didn't come back for a few days. When he did... it was like he was a different Pokemon, he never told us what happened and had been reclusive and quiet to himself until now."

As this was unfolding, Ian stood quietly pondering the information that laid before him. A Shellos that changed in personality after coming back from the surface? Something stank, and it wasn't from his open wound. The mudfish Pokemon gave Mawile a slight nudge, which caught the attention of the Expedition Society second in command.

"I got a bad feeling about this..." he whispered into Mawile's ear.

"I feel it too, keep your guard up, in case anything ha-"

The conversation was cut short when the Boldore let out a scream, the two Pokemon turned their gaze back to him and were horrified with what they witnessed. The Shellos, whom just a second ago was nothing more than small Pokemon creeping up on the ore Pokemon's leg, had grown three times its size and was enveloping the Boldore in its own body mass. His face was visible now, a pair of gaping black holes where his eyes should be and a gaping mouth that hung wide open. It wasn't long before someone in the crowd confirmed everyone's fears.

"THEY'RE HERE! THE VOID SHADOWS ARE HERE!"

In just blink of eye, the room erupted into a state of chaos as screams of terror rang and Pokemon began pushing past each other to get away from the Shellos imposter. Ian barely had time to see the thing fully consume Boldore before being shoved to the ground by the panicked crowd, desperate to escape.

"EVERYONE MOVE!" He heard Greninja yell, followed by the familiar sound of an Ice Beam attack being launched.

 _Shit shit shit shit shit!_

The mudfish Pokemon was about to get back up on his feet when suddenly a loud boom erupted and the ground beneath him quaked violently. Before he had time to make a run for it, the floor gave way and collapsed, sending the mudfish Pokemon tumbling down the hole. He had little to react before he felt something hard knock him on the back of his head, rendering him unconscious as he fell face first onto the ground, motionless.

* * *

Ian wasn't sure how much time had passed when he finally regained consciousness and heard a faint feminine voice calling out to him. The mudfish Pokemon forced his eyes open and saw the blurry figure of a red and white Pokemon, eventually his eyes refocused and the blurry figure was revealed to be Latias.

"Oh thank goodness you're awake!" The eon Pokemon said. "Come on! We have to go now!"

As Ian slowly got back on his feet, he saw Latias quickly turn her back against him and launch an Ice Beam attack at a lone Void Shadow, freezing it solid, immediately followed by her ramming her head at it and shattering the creature.

"W-what happened...?" Ian muttered.

"Everything's gone to hell." Latias answered. "Void Shadows have overrun the sanctuary and already consumed multiple Pokemon."

The mudfish Pokemon frowned at the mention of multiple casualties. He couldn't believe of the ruthlessness of those creatures, with their lack of emotions and almost autonomous behavior. They're still nothing more than an enigma.

"Wait..." Ian said. Achill ran down his spine when he realized someone was missing. "Patience! Where is she? Is she alright?"

"She managed to escape to the surface, where she and your friends are waiting. She was the one that ask me to look for you actually."

Ian breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his partner was safe at least. Now he just had to worry about his own safety and get out of here.

"Come on, let's get you out of this hole. Hop on my back."

It was then that Ian recalled that he had indeed fall down into a hole before losing consciousness. Nodding at the eon Pokemon, the mud fish Pokemon gently climbed onto Latias's back and grasped the side of her body firmly. Once he was sure of his grip, he gave Latias a slight nudge and she immediately flew vertically upwards a few meters, exiting the hole Ian had fell from. Latias gently lowered her body onto the ground and allowed Ian to hop off.

He began scanning his surroundings and was shocked with the room that laid before him. What was once the room Ian and the others had gathered in not too long ago was nothing more than a mess now. Scorch marks littered the room and the ceiling partially collapsed, it was a clear indication that a fight had taken place here. Turning to his right, Ian noticed that the entryway that led to another room before the exit to the surface was no longer there. In its place were multiple boulders that had sealed it. However, upon closer inspection, the ceiling above the entryway was still perfectly intact, meaning either the cave in happened on the other side or someone sealed it on purpose.  
 _  
Slowing down the Void Shadows presumably?_

"Well that's not good..." Latias said as she noticed the blocked out entryway.

"Can't we just destroy it?" Ian suggested. "I feel like one Hydro Pump should be able to blast these rocks."

"No, don't!" Latias stopped the mudfish Pokemon. "I think I know why these rocks are here. The others are blocking off the entryways to slow down the Void Shadows! If we destroy the rocks, we'll just be screwing ourselves over!"

Ian, realizing the mistake he almost made, nodded in acknowledgment. "Right, so is there another way out?"

"These rooms are all connected, so we just need to take the long way out by passing through the other rooms."

The eon Pokemon pointed across the room, towards another entryway that was still open. The two wasted no time and broke into a dash through the entryway into the next room. Ian and Latias immediately stopped dead in their tracks when they discovered the room swarmed with Void Shadows, mindlessly slogging around searching for their next prey. The two looked at each other and both nodded, they both are going to have to fight their way out.

"You battle often?" Latias asked, readying herself for battle. "Cause this is going to be a tough fight."

"I've had my share of fights," Ian replied. "Just watch my back alright?"

The eon Pokemon nodded and with it, the two fired their Ice Beams simultaneously, freezing two Void Shadows in place. The rest now were alerted to their presence and quickly approached them. Ian took the first move as he dashed forward towards the frozen Void Shadow and shattered it. Latias followed suit as she launch a Dragon Pulse to destroy the other Void Shadow.

"Not bad," Latias complimented. "Let's wrap this up."

Ian nodded as he fired another Ice Beam at a Void Shadow before destroying it with a Hydro Pump. The mudfish Pokemon quickly sidestepped when he noticed a Void Shadow lunge at him, Latias making quick work of it soon after, taking care of the last ones in the room.

"Come on!" Latias shouted to Ian as the two continued making their way through the desolate sanctuary, passing through multiple empty rooms and eventually reached the final room, the other side of the blocked off room. Though what they stumbled into took them by surprise.

Absol, Greninja's partner, was fighting off four Void Shadows on her own. Her attacks were fierce to shatter the shadows defences and her movements too swift for them to hit her. She dodged a hammer attack from one of the creatures before launching an Ice Beam attack at the Void Shadows, freezing them in place before swinging her head hard with her scythe like horn in quick succession, shattering all four into pieces.

"Wow," was all Ian could say after witnessing something as impressive as Absol's battling prowess. The disaster Pokemon heard the compliment from across the room and turned her head around to meet the two survivors.

"You were taking a long time searching for survivors," Absol said. "So Greninja asked me to come look for you."

"Unfortunately, the only one is Ian..." Latias said in a whisper, averting her eyes away from Absol.

"Wait, how many have we lost?" Ian asked. Absol frowned at the mention of the number of casualties, as for a split second she averted her gaze from the mudfish Pokemon.

"About half of us... around a hundred Pokemon haven't been accounted for. We can only assume the worst..."

"Damn..." Latias muttered.

Just then, the sound of something collapsing echoed through the empty sanctuary, catching the three Pokemon off guard. It was only a matter of time before entire place caved in.

"Alright, we don't have time to search for anymore survivors, as much as I hate the idea..." Absol said. "We're going to bury the surface entrance so that no Void Shadow come after u-"

Everything next happened in a flash. Out of the corner of her eyes, a Void Shadow sprang at Absol, wrapping its body around her head. The disaster Pokemon screamed in horror as Ian and Latias froze in shock as the Void Shadow tightened its grip on Absol's head, squeezing her as her cries of pain were muffled.

"We're gotta save her!" Ian exclaimed as he prepared to fire an Ice Beam but was interrupted when Latias reached her hand out in front of him.

"We can't! What if it hits her?" she cried.

The mudfish Pokemon cursed, in his hastiness he hadn't considered the possibility of him harming Absol if his attack missed. They were going to have to find another way to remove the Void Shadow.

"I'll keep her still, after that you go in and remove the Void Shadow by hand." Latias quickly suggested, the idea taking the mudfish Pokemon by surprise. It seemed extremely risky, considering the fact that he was going to have to get up close and personal once more with a Void Shadow, when the memory of coming into direct contact with one still fresh in his mind. But now was not the time to be fearful, not when Absol's life was at risk.

Reluctantly, Ian nodded in acknowledgement of the plan. "I'm ready."

Not wasting a second, Latias zoomed past Ian and rushed forward towards Absol and tackled her down, restraining her in the process. The disaster Pokemon struggled violently as the Void Shadow hugging her face continue to cling on. Ian followed short as he pinned Absol down with his body and began prying the Void Shadow off her. The creature let off a shriek, the first time he'd heard it made a sound as it remained hellbent on Absol's face. The disaster Pokemon, however, was not doing so well, as her efforts to struggle grew weaker and she was no longer screaming. It was a clear sign that her time was running short if the mudfish Pokemon doesn't remove the Void Shadow any faster.

"COME ON!" Ian yelled frustratedly, trying to find grip on the slippery body of the Void Shadow. Touching the creature created weird slushing noises that made him uncomfortable, he didn't know what these things were made of and he didn't want to. Eventually, he found what little grip he could around the edge of the Void Shadow's body and a sudden sense of adrenaline rush through him. With all his might, he pulled once more. "GET. OFF. YOU. STUPID. PIECE. OF...!"

With one final pull, Ian pried the Void Shadow free of Absol and flung it across the room. The creature let out one final shriek before the mudfish Pokemon froze it solid and shattered it with a Hydro Pump. Once he was sure that the Void Shadow has been shattered to pieces, Ian breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was too close..." He muttered to himself as he and Latias got off of Absol. They noticed that she was motionless, which caused their hearts to tighten. Were they too late to save her? Thankfully, upon further inspection of her rising and falling stomach, Absol was only rendered unconscious. A far better fate than being consumed by a Void Shadow. Just then, the room shook violently for a few seconds as parts of the ceiling collapsed, almost hitting the two Pokemon. The sanctuary was going to cave in at any moment, and they were right in the middle of it.

"Alright, let's get her out of here before anymore of those Void Shadows show u-"

As if their stroke of bad luck couldn't get any worse, Latias was interrupted whensomething light blue in colour landed on the eon Pokemon's back and took her by surprise. She shook wildly in an attempt to throw off whatever it was on her as Ian managed to catch a glimpse of what was on her: a light blue slug like creature with yellow stripes on its back.

 _No... oh no!_

It clung hard to the back of the eon Pokemon, shrieking loudly as its body began expanding across Latias's body, slowly consuming it.

As Ian stood shocked at what was happening in front of him, the room shook once more, more violent than ever as more rocks from the ceiling fell.

"Go!" Latias yelled as she slammed her back against the wall in an attempt to hurt the Shellos. However, this only aggravated it as it let out another shriek and tightened its grip on Latias. The eon Pokemon yelp in pain and fell to the ground, the Shellos almost done enveloping her. "L-leave me!" She muttered with the remainder of her strength." Get Absol out of here! T-tell my brother that I..."

Time felt like it had came to a standstill as Ian was placed in a difficult situation. Two Pokemon, one Mudkip and very little time. Even though Latias had told him to escape, he couldn't bear the thought of abandoning the Pokemon who rescued him, no less a Legendary Pokemon. Absol was second to Greninja, who leads the rest of the survivors here in the Voidlands. From the very little time he's seen the two of them, he could tell that they heavily depended on each other. How would Greninja react if he were to lose Absol?

 _No..._ Ian thought to himself. _There has to be another way. I WILL save them both!_

Now more determined than ever, the mudfish Pokemon left the unconscious Absol and ran to Latias's aid. He fired a Hydro Pump at the Shellos, hitting it square in the face with an overwhelming amount of force. Shellos hissed aggressively, as its body shrank back to its original size, stopping its progress on consuming Latias in order to deal with Ian. The eon Pokemon laid weakened on the ground as she struggled to even move.

 _Can't waste time..._

Ian fired multiple shots of Ice Beams in quick succession in hopes of making quick work of the Shellos. The Void Shadow swiftly dodged the barrage with the exception of one grazing the side of its face, causing it to shriek in pain. It glided across the room swiftly, rushing towards the mudfish Pokemon. Ian was about to launch another Ice Beam when Shellos lunged and tackled him to the ground. Ian's breathing quickened as the Void Shadow pinned him to the ground, piercing into him with its cold, dead eyes. The mudfish Pokemon readied another Ice Beam but was cut short when a dark purple tendril jutted out from Shellos's body and wrapped around the Mudkip's neck, choking him. The creature pulled itself closer to him, mere centimeters apart. Ian's fear began to kick in, watching hopelessly in horror as the Shellos's mouth began mutilating into a horrifying disfigurement, it was going to consume him. Once again, the mudfish Pokemon was at the mercy of another Void Shadow, saving yet another Pokemon's life while risking his own. As he began to lose consciousness from the lack of oxygen, he began to realize the number of times he had been into near death situations. From being burned alive by Entei to save Faith, to being literally backstabbed by Nuzleaf. Ian didn't know how he has managed to survive all of them by the skin of his teeth. Was it luck? Or was someone looking out for him? Whatever he believed, Ian was hoping it would help him out once more. Help him live to see another day, and look after the ones he care for.  
 _  
Please... save me..._

Sure enough, as if his pleas were heard. A stream of ice flew from Ian's right and struck the Shellos on the side of its head, sending it flying across the room and hitting a wall. The tendril that was wrapped around the mudfish Pokemon's neck soon disappeared and Ian was left gasping for air as he laid on his side. He slowly turned his head to the direction of the Ice Beam and saw Latias, already back up. She was the one that had save him.

 _Thank you._ Ian thanked his silent protector as he got back up on his feet. Guess my time still isn't up yet huh? The mudfish Pokemon turned his attention back to Shellos, who was still laying on the ground weakened. The Mudkip saw this as the perfect opportunity to eliminate the Void Shadow once and for all. He fired an Ice Beam at the Shellos, the creature letting out a final screech before being frozen solid. He then fired a Hydro Pump at the block of ice that was Shellos, the impact from the pressurized water shattering the creature into dozens of pieces, finally putting an end to the perpetrator behind all this.

 _Stay down._

Shortly after, the room began to shake, this time even more violent than before. The cave was about to collapse at any moment now. Latias approached the mudfish Pokemon in haste, a faint hint of nervousness in her eyes.

"Let's go! This place is going to collapse!" she yelled through the sound of rocks crumbling and tremors.

"But Absol...!" Ian's words trailed off as he turned his attention back to the unconscious disaster Pokemon.

"I'll get her!"

Zooming past Ian, Latias raced quickly across the room to Absol's aid and carry her out of here. But just when she neared her, the tremor suddenly worsened and cracks began forming on the ground. A few seconds later, the sound of crumbling rocks echoed through the room and the floor began to collapse.

And Absol was right above it.

"NO!" Latias screamed as she rapidly increased her speed to try and grab Absol before she fell. However, she was too late. She barely managed to grab the tip of her hands before the floor inevitably collapsed below. Her unconscious body tumbling down and disappearing into the darkness.

"ABSOL! NOOOO!" The eon Pokemon screamed in frozen horror as she felt her heart sank deep. Absol was gone.

Ian stood shock with what had just happened. His legs began to shake and he felt sick to the stomach. They had lost Absol, a Pokemon that seemed headstrong and defiant even in the face of danger, gone in an instant. "Latias! We have to go!" Ian exclaimed from the corridor leading up to the surface, not daring to take another step forward in fear of it breaking as well.

"B-but Absol!"

"We don't have time! We have to leave her or else we'll be trapped in here as well!" The words that came out of his own mouth pained him greatly. How could he say something so cold? Didn't he mere moments ago wanted to save both Absol and Latias by any means necessary? How quickly he changed his mind when faced with an extreme situation.

 _Absol... I'm sorry..._

When Latias finally reached Ian. The remaining floor in the previous room finally caved in, leaving only a dark bottomless hole before them. Ian winced at the thought of how far down Absol had fallen, and whether she could even get back out. But now was not the time to wonder, the two began rushing up towards the surface as the sanctuary began to cave in behind them. The mudfish Pokemon turned for a quick moment and took one last glance of the entryway, before rocks crumbled over and sealed it forever. He didn't know whether there were anyone else besides Absol that may still be trapped there. He didn't want to believe there were. Regardless, he muttered one final farewell to them as he felt a gust of wind blow past his face. They have reached the surface.

"I promise your deaths will not be for nothing. I promise..."

* * *

"Please be safe please be safe please be safe..."

Patience muttered nervously to herself as she and the other Expedition Society members watched intensely at the entrance of the sanctuary, hoping to see Latias and Ian come out. Not too long ago, Absol had volunteered to go look for them after the eon Pokemon has taken too much time to search for Ian. Much to Greninja's disapproval, the disaster Pokemon went back inside in search of the two Pokemon.

But it'd been awhile since then, and they still weren't out yet.

"You're worried about your partner?"

The fire fox Pokemon had her thoughts interrupted as she looked to her right to see Latios standing next to her.

"Yeah..." she replied with a concerned tone in her voice.

"Well don't you worry little one, my sister may be young, but she's capable of saving Ian," the eon Pokemon said, followed by a reassuring nod to himself as he looked back at the entrance. "I know she will."

As if right on cue, Patience heard the loud stomping of footsteps coming from the cave entrance. Her ears perked up as she ran quickly towards the entrance, Mawile and the other followed shortly after. Sure enough, coming out from the cave was the familiar sight of a Mudkip, along with Latias who had had a distraught look on her face.

"Ian!" Patience exclaimed as she hurriedly rushed over to her partner. The mudfish Pokemon, smiling at the sight of the Fennekin, approached her and gave her a quick hug.

"I'm starting to think the Society life is too much for me," Ian snakily remarked.

"You just don't have me to look after you," Patience replied back, nudging the Mudkip playfully. Ian turned his attention to behind Patience and was greeted with the sight of the remaining survivors that had managed to escape the onslaught that had occurred down below. It was as Absol had said, only about a hundred plus remained, half of them gone already. Among the crowd, Ian caught sight of a familiar Pokemon from before: the Mienfoo. She was curled up against the wall, quietly sobbing to herself as she repeated the words "I didn't know." over and over. A few of the other Pokemon tried comforting her, but to no avail. She was clearly traumatized with discovering Shellos, the Pokemon that she had sworn to protect, be an imposter that caused the loss of many survivors.

 _Poor gal..._

"Where's Absol?"

The mudfish Pokemon knew it was only a matter of time before he heard that question be asked. He turned to the Pokemon who had asked the question and was greeted with the sight of Greninja, towering over him and Latias as he look at them dead in the eyes, arms crossed.

"S-she..." Latias struggled to conjure up the words she needed to break it to the ninja Pokemon. Ian could see the sadness in the eon Pokemon's eyes as she tried to find the courage to tell Greninja about the fate of Absol. The mudfish Pokemon mentally sighed, seeing how much Latias was struggling, he knew it had to be him to inform Greninja of the bad news.

 _Here goes..._

"Absol... didn't make it out." Ian said, forcing out every word even though it pained him. "She sacrificed herself so that we can escape."

Greninja's eyes widened for a brief moment, as if trying to process what he had just heard. The mudfish Pokemon noticed his legs shaking for a split second and his hands twitching slightly.

"I... see." was all Greninja could muster up as he turned around and tilted his head down to the floor, hiding his face from the others. The group fell silent as all eyes laid on Greninja. "Let's get moving... we're heading to the spire, give me five minutes to scout out the area ahead."

The ninja Pokemon lifted his head back up and began walking past everyone else in the direction of the Spire. He then began making strange movements with his hands, before vanishing into thin air, leaving only kicked up dust behind. It wasn't long before Ian noticed Mawile, Linoone and the other Expedition Society members run up to him.

"Thank Arceus you're alright," Mawile said.

"What the heck happened to you down there?" Jirachi asked as the mudfish Pokemon began explaining to the others the events that transpired while down in the sanctuary, including what really happened to Absol.

"You... did the best you could in such an extreme situation," Gadget comforted.

"Poor Absol..." Swirlix muttered to herself.

It was then that Ian felt someone from behind tap him on the shoulder. The mudfish Pokemon turned around and was greeted with the sight of Latias, by her side was a blue striped Pokemon with similar features as Latias. It didn't take long for Ian to figure who he was.

"You must be Latios." he said.

"Yes, that is correct," Latios confirmed.

"Is there something we can help you with?" Mawile asked.

The eon Pokemon shook his head as he turned his attention back to Ian. "Latias told me about everything that happened down there, what really happened..." His sentence was cut short when he fell to the floor, head bowed down and grabbing the mudfish Pokemon by the shoulders, much to everyone's surprise. "I-I... am forever in your debt for saving my sister!" He exclaimed with a raspy voice, trying his best to hold back tears.

"B-brother!" Latias exclaimed in shock as she pulled Latios back up. "There's no need to cause such a scene! I wasn't hurt badly or anything!"

"No..." The blue eon Pokemon muttered. "That's not the point... You could have easily left Latias behind in order to save Absol, but you didn't. You thought my sister still had a chance of surviving and came to her aid. Unfortunately... you traded one life for another."

The group fell silent on that last sentence. The air felt heavy and dreadful, with everyone exchanging glances at each other.

"I'm sorry, you did the best you could," Latios sympathized, But the mudfish Pokemon remained silent, clearly still shaken by the whole ordeal. "Nevertheless, know that if you require assistance in any shape or form, you'll have our aid. For we consider you a friend of ours now."

"I guess you could say we're... connected now huh?" Jirachi remarked, he was however greeted with unamused stares from the other Expedition Society members, who knew exactly what the wish Pokemon was trying to say. Jirachi simply shrugged and gave up at his attempt at comedy.

"T-thank you..." Ian said in almost a whisper.

Latias, seeing the Mudkip still feeling down about himself, went up to him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Ian, I know this may seem difficult, but now is not the time to grieve. We still have to get out of here alive and Absol's sacrifice will only be in vain if we fail. Do you understand me?"

"Y-yeah... I do," Ian said, this time more confidently as he took in a deep breath before exhaling to recompose himself. "You're right, we still have a task to do."

The red eon Pokemon nodded her head in approval and gave him a wink before letting go of him. "We'll go check up on Greninja, you should all wait here until we return. Catch your breath and get ready, I fear the worst is yet to come."

On that foreboding tone, Latios and Latias turned to the direction of the Spire and flew off, soon disappearing from sight as they turned a corner. Ian and the others fell silent once more for what felt like a good few minutes before Patience decided to break the silence.

"She's right," she said, getting everyone's attention. "We have to survive. We're all going to make it out here together, not only for Absol and the others, but for Dedenne and Bunnelby!"

"That's right!" Mawile expressed confidently. "We're Expedition Society members! We took on this case because we wanted to help others! We put our lives on the line for discovery and danger because that is our mission! Everyone! Group motto! Together we stand-"

"-UNITED WE CAN!" The other Expedition Society members roared with newfound determination. Linoone couldn't help but a crack a smile at the group's morale. It made her somewhat envious as she's never experience something like this in her life before, working in a group. She always preferred to get things done by herself.

 _Well, except for him..._

"Come on Linoone! Come join in!" Patience exclaimed as she interrupted the rushing Pokemon's thoughts by grabbing her by the hand and dragging her closer to the others. Everyone, except Swirlix, held out their hands around a circle, Linoone reluctantly extended her hand out, immediately followed by everyone raising their hands up high and shouting in unison.

It was a team bonding exercise, and for the first time in decades, she was happy to be part of one once more.

A team.


End file.
